It’s not about the product. It’s not about how wonderful you are. It’s about the internal systems – the beliefs, the tangle of relationships and policies and historic remedies and people issues and and and.

HOW DO WE FIND THE RIGHT CLIENTS?

Given you know your craft but may not have the same level of savvy to garner all of the patients or clients that you deserve, how indeed do you get the business to come in the door?

Remember: it’s not about you. Remember that it’s about how the client makes their best decision. Your job is to help your clients decide to work with you.

Here are some ideas that might help. Pick the right ones for you:

1. send out a monthly newsletter with an article of interest. Make sure you mention a new product or service that you have somew
   Self Inking Rubber Stamps
   Self-inking stamps are characterized by their separate die and re-inking pad, incorporated into a convenient spring-loaded mount. Pressing down on the top of the mount makes the stamp impression. The stamp die rotates away from the pad and down on to the area to be stamped. Self-ink stamps are mid-priced, and they cost more than conventional stamps, but less than pre-inked stamps.The number of lines and the mount size determines the prices of self-ink stamps. Usually, 6 self-ink mount sizes are available. Care should be taken to avoid banging or applying excessive pressure on these self-inking stamps. The stamps should be pressed down firmly over the area to be stamped and pressure should be applied evenly. The advent of self-ink stamps has ensured consistent impressions and allows easy alignment to information on brochures, business cards and envelopes. A single ink refill would enable the user to make thousands of impressions.Self-inking stamps are flexible to
   You’re a professional – either a doctor, or a dentist, or an artist. Maybe you’re an independent sales person who works on commission, or a speaker who must sell yourself. You might even be a B-C business whose product depends on a product or service you’ve developed.

   You’ve been trained well; you went to a professional school, or positioned yourself as an expert, and you’re very good at what you do. And now you’ve gone into business to give others the opportunity to pay you to do what you do best.

   You rent space, hire staff, take out a loan – possibly a very large loan – to populate your office with the best: technology, staff, ambiance. And a few of your friends come in as your first clients. And then you wait for others to walk in the door.

   And you wait.

   You’re not a business person and you’ve not been taught the fine art of marketing. Not to mention that it’s embarrassing to have to tell others how good you are and that they should pay you because you’re good.

   “Hi. I’m Joe Smith. I’m the new doc in town. You oughta come in and see me. I’m really good and I’ll take good care of you. When can I expect you? I’ve got time to see you, um, all day today, and, um, well, whenever you want to come in I could make time for you. When are you coming in?”

   WHY CONVENTIONAL SALES DOESN’T WORK IN THE PROFESSIONAL MARKET

   Part of the problem is that ‘sales’ has been based on some rendition of a push strategy, or the newly coined approach of a ‘relationship’ (which does nothing more than try to have the prospect like you), and of course all of your competitors are doing the same thing. But the model as we've known it is inefficient. Statistically, the very model brings in no more than 7% of its target (obviously leaving a 93% failure rate).

   Following the conventional sales model, you’d have to sell your services by influencing/convincing/persuading folks that you are better than your competitors, that you are to be trusted, that you are price competitive, and that the buyer needs you and your product. And, whatever else they based their decision on.

   Indeed, that is the problem: who knows what buyers base their decisions on? They do. Only the client knows the criteria to fix or change something. It’s been a fallacy, all these years, to believe that because the vendor (you, in this case) can understand the problem (and you do! You do!), and your product can solve their problem (you can! You can!), that your product is a natural fit – and that of course you are the best vendor.

   But only those who live inside the problem have the capacity to understand the problem and resolve it. While a solution may look obvious to you as an outsider, it isn’t obvious at all to them. They’ve had the problematic issues, along with a certain set of ‘givens’ and expectations and work-arounds, in place for a long time; it feels normal to them. And until/unless they are willing and able to do something different, they won’t change.

   At the end of the day, you will never fully understand the client’s criteria, or system, or viewpoint, or set of systems that hold the problem in place; and you can’t know their criteria for making a change or for using you over their current provider (and everyone has some sort of ‘provider’).

   When I moved here to Austin, I obviously had to change my long term dental providers. After working with a new periodontist for a while, he suggested a regular dentist for a cap I needed. Of course I went on his recommendation. But as I sat in the chair with a numb mouth filled with dental paraphernalia, this guy began telling me about his political convictions which were very, very opposite to mine, and frankly, offensive to me. Next.

   Was his care good? Probably. Was he a nice guy? Um… well, maybe. But I’m a highly political animal and couldn’t abide by political opinions being spouted at me when I was helpless to object. He had no idea what my criteria were. In fact, he was actually surprised when he called me months later to get my ongoing business and I told him no.

   It’s not about the product. It’s not about how wonderful you are. It’s about the internal systems – the beliefs, the tangle of relationships and policies and historic remedies and people issues and and and.

   HOW DO WE FIND THE RIGHT CLIENTS?

   Given you know your craft but may not have the same level of savvy to garner all of the patients or clients that you deserve, how indeed do you get the business to come in the door?

   Remember: it’s not about you. Remember that it’s about how the client makes their best decision. Your job is to help your clients decide to work with you.

   Here are some ideas that might help. Pick the right ones for you:

   1. send out a monthly newsletter with an article of interest. Make sure you mention a new product or service that you have somew
      Why Don't We Go For Self-Employment?
      For many years I managed and handled sales and marketing for a computer training centre. As part of the training mix, we offered a two year vocational course to school leavers. These courses were reliant on huge capital expenditure in terms of Apple computers as well as the software that went with it. Then we wanted all the international accreditations and those cost a fortune. In the end the course itself had to be sold for a fair amount of money to cover this as well as make a profit for expansion purposes.During the enrollment process for a prospective student who was in the process of finishing his secondary school education, I would insist that parents or guardians and the youngster in question, would come for a one hour demo, to explain the industry, provide a basic outline of the course, one that the parents could understand as well and see whether junior looked enthusiastic enough for the hard work lying ahead of him.One of the huge questions the parents
      ou’re good.

      “Hi. I’m Joe Smith. I’m the new doc in town. You oughta come in and see me. I’m really good and I’ll take good care of you. When can I expect you? I’ve got time to see you, um, all day today, and, um, well, whenever you want to come in I could make time for you. When are you coming in?”

      WHY CONVENTIONAL SALES DOESN’T WORK IN THE PROFESSIONAL MARKET

      Part of the problem is that ‘sales’ has been based on some rendition of a push strategy, or the newly coined approach of a ‘relationship’ (which does nothing more than try to have the prospect like you), and of course all of your competitors are doing the same thing. But the model as we've known it is inefficient. Statistically, the very model brings in no more than 7% of its target (obviously leaving a 93% failure rate).

      Following the conventional sales model, you’d have to sell your services by influencing/convincing/persuading folks that you are better than your competitors, that you are to be trusted, that you are price competitive, and that the buyer needs you and your product. And, whatever else they based their decision on.

      Indeed, that is the problem: who knows what buyers base their decisions on? They do. Only the client knows the criteria to fix or change something. It’s been a fallacy, all these years, to believe that because the vendor (you, in this case) can understand the problem (and you do! You do!), and your product can solve their problem (you can! You can!), that your product is a natural fit – and that of course you are the best vendor.

      But only those who live inside the problem have the capacity to understand the problem and resolve it. While a solution may look obvious to you as an outsider, it isn’t obvious at all to them. They’ve had the problematic issues, along with a certain set of ‘givens’ and expectations and work-arounds, in place for a long time; it feels normal to them. And until/unless they are willing and able to do something different, they won’t change.

      At the end of the day, you will never fully understand the client’s criteria, or system, or viewpoint, or set of systems that hold the problem in place; and you can’t know their criteria for making a change or for using you over their current provider (and everyone has some sort of ‘provider’).

      When I moved here to Austin, I obviously had to change my long term dental providers. After working with a new periodontist for a while, he suggested a regular dentist for a cap I needed. Of course I went on his recommendation. But as I sat in the chair with a numb mouth filled with dental paraphernalia, this guy began telling me about his political convictions which were very, very opposite to mine, and frankly, offensive to me. Next.

      Was his care good? Probably. Was he a nice guy? Um… well, maybe. But I’m a highly political animal and couldn’t abide by political opinions being spouted at me when I was helpless to object. He had no idea what my criteria were. In fact, he was actually surprised when he called me months later to get my ongoing business and I told him no.

      It’s not about the product. It’s not about how wonderful you are. It’s about the internal systems – the beliefs, the tangle of relationships and policies and historic remedies and people issues and and and.

      HOW DO WE FIND THE RIGHT CLIENTS?

      Given you know your craft but may not have the same level of savvy to garner all of the patients or clients that you deserve, how indeed do you get the business to come in the door?

      Remember: it’s not about you. Remember that it’s about how the client makes their best decision. Your job is to help your clients decide to work with you.

      Here are some ideas that might help. Pick the right ones for you:

      1. send out a monthly newsletter with an article of interest. Make sure you mention a new product or service that you have somew
         Jobs without College Degrees
         In our early youth we all take up jobs to earn money. Right. But do all of us enjoy doing whatever we are supposed to do. Remember, that is a very vital question. Unless you have internal satisfaction in doing a job, you better quit because in the end, nobody is happy, neither you who despise the job nor your employer who finds a reluctant employee eating out of his hand, displacing a willing worker. I recall a seminar addressed by a senior vice president of an MNC, attended by me where the venerable gentleman opened his speech by stating that he started his carrier as a window cleaner and that he loved his job only too well. “I used to go out early in the morning”, he added, “and being a green horn, was much amused at what happened on the other side of the window”.So was the case of a college drop out who minted money by playing guitar in a roaring night- club. His daily tips for playing popular tunes ‘on request’ amounted to more than what a college degree holder coul
         your competitors, that you are to be trusted, that you are price competitive, and that the buyer needs you and your product. And, whatever else they based their decision on.

         Indeed, that is the problem: who knows what buyers base their decisions on? They do. Only the client knows the criteria to fix or change something. It’s been a fallacy, all these years, to believe that because the vendor (you, in this case) can understand the problem (and you do! You do!), and your product can solve their problem (you can! You can!), that your product is a natural fit – and that of course you are the best vendor.

         But only those who live inside the problem have the capacity to understand the problem and resolve it. While a solution may look obvious to you as an outsider, it isn’t obvious at all to them. They’ve had the problematic issues, along with a certain set of ‘givens’ and expectations and work-arounds, in place for a long time; it feels normal to them. And until/unless they are willing and able to do something different, they won’t change.

         At the end of the day, you will never fully understand the client’s criteria, or system, or viewpoint, or set of systems that hold the problem in place; and you can’t know their criteria for making a change or for using you over their current provider (and everyone has some sort of ‘provider’).

         When I moved here to Austin, I obviously had to change my long term dental providers. After working with a new periodontist for a while, he suggested a regular dentist for a cap I needed. Of course I went on his recommendation. But as I sat in the chair with a numb mouth filled with dental paraphernalia, this guy began telling me about his political convictions which were very, very opposite to mine, and frankly, offensive to me. Next.

         Was his care good? Probably. Was he a nice guy? Um… well, maybe. But I’m a highly political animal and couldn’t abide by political opinions being spouted at me when I was helpless to object. He had no idea what my criteria were. In fact, he was actually surprised when he called me months later to get my ongoing business and I told him no.

         It’s not about the product. It’s not about how wonderful you are. It’s about the internal systems – the beliefs, the tangle of relationships and policies and historic remedies and people issues and and and.

         HOW DO WE FIND THE RIGHT CLIENTS?

         Given you know your craft but may not have the same level of savvy to garner all of the patients or clients that you deserve, how indeed do you get the business to come in the door?

         Remember: it’s not about you. Remember that it’s about how the client makes their best decision. Your job is to help your clients decide to work with you.

         Here are some ideas that might help. Pick the right ones for you:

         1. send out a monthly newsletter with an article of interest. Make sure you mention a new product or service that you have somew
            Promotional Pens - A Great Trade Show Giveaway
            One of the best items that you can give away during a trade show is a promotional pen. They are very popular at trade shows for a good reason – when people go to trade shows, they are inundated with papers, pamphlets and flyers, most of which get tossed into a pile back at the office, never to be looked at again. However, if you had out a promotional pen with your papers or pamphlets, your pen will likely be looked at again, and again by potential clients at the trade show, even when they are back in the office.The chief reason that promotional pens are so popular at trade shows is due to their size and functionality – they are compact and something that everyone and every business (read, potential client) needs and uses every day. In comparison to other promotional items, promotional pens are compact and easy to carry, especially when people are browsing around a trade show. It also helps you, the business, especially if you have limited space in your trade show booth.
            ey are willing and able to do something different, they won’t change.

            At the end of the day, you will never fully understand the client’s criteria, or system, or viewpoint, or set of systems that hold the problem in place; and you can’t know their criteria for making a change or for using you over their current provider (and everyone has some sort of ‘provider’).

            When I moved here to Austin, I obviously had to change my long term dental providers. After working with a new periodontist for a while, he suggested a regular dentist for a cap I needed. Of course I went on his recommendation. But as I sat in the chair with a numb mouth filled with dental paraphernalia, this guy began telling me about his political convictions which were very, very opposite to mine, and frankly, offensive to me. Next.

            Was his care good? Probably. Was he a nice guy? Um… well, maybe. But I’m a highly political animal and couldn’t abide by political opinions being spouted at me when I was helpless to object. He had no idea what my criteria were. In fact, he was actually surprised when he called me months later to get my ongoing business and I told him no.

            It’s not about the product. It’s not about how wonderful you are. It’s about the internal systems – the beliefs, the tangle of relationships and policies and historic remedies and people issues and and and.

            HOW DO WE FIND THE RIGHT CLIENTS?

            Given you know your craft but may not have the same level of savvy to garner all of the patients or clients that you deserve, how indeed do you get the business to come in the door?

            Remember: it’s not about you. Remember that it’s about how the client makes their best decision. Your job is to help your clients decide to work with you.

            Here are some ideas that might help. Pick the right ones for you:

            1. send out a monthly newsletter with an article of interest. Make sure you mention a new product or service that you have somew
               5 Rules For Great Marketing
               Does your business have all the customers it needs? Does it have a potent marketing system that reliably goes out into the marketplace and brings in profitable business?Most businesses don't.But marketing effectively isn't that hard, and it's not that complicated. It just takes a little bit of discipline and consistent adherence to some basic rules.If your business is struggling to bring in customers, or if you're just looking to give your sales a boost, review all of your marketing materials and make sure they follow some basic fundamentals.Here are a few things to pay close attention to:1. It's All About the CustomerYou must start thinking about things from your customer's point of view.Most businesses focus on themselves. This is a mistake. Forget about your business, your products and services, and what you need from your prospect. Instead, approach everything from the standpoint of your custom
               s helpless to object. He had no idea what my criteria were. In fact, he was actually surprised when he called me months later to get my ongoing business and I told him no.

               It’s not about the product. It’s not about how wonderful you are. It’s about the internal systems – the beliefs, the tangle of relationships and policies and historic remedies and people issues and and and.

               HOW DO WE FIND THE RIGHT CLIENTS?

               Given you know your craft but may not have the same level of savvy to garner all of the patients or clients that you deserve, how indeed do you get the business to come in the door?

               Remember: it’s not about you. Remember that it’s about how the client makes their best decision. Your job is to help your clients decide to work with you.

               Here are some ideas that might help. Pick the right ones for you:

               1. send out a monthly newsletter with an article of interest. Make sure you mention a new product or service that you have somewhere in the newsletter, but ensure there are articles of interest written by you and other colleagues. This makes you an authority and keeps you top of mind for when your client/prospect can make a new decision. Of course, the article itself might help people decide to come in.
               2. contact colleagues in adjacent industries (like periodontists if you’re a dentist) and arrange some form of referencing model so you both help each other get business. Getting a referral from a current provider is a great help in the decision process.
               3. hold monthly lunch sessions that teach aspects of your business to prospects/clients. Either do it yourself or invite some of your business partners (see #2) to speak some of the time. That will bring in their clients to meet you, help them highlight their skills so they can get new business also, and will offer your current clients new data.
               4. write interesting articles in local magazines. This will get you natural press.
               5. write interesting articles in e-zines that your client base might read – or that will get you local notice.
               6. hire someone to call your current clients to find out how you are doing; have them tell you what you can do better, what they’d like to see that they currently don’t get from you, and mention you’d like a referral if they would feel comfortable doing that. Use facilitative questions like:

               1. What would you need to see from us to ensure you get all of your needs met? What would that look like for you?
               2. What would you need to see from us to feel comfortable recommending us to a friend?

               7. give your current clients 50% off on X if they send a referral. This will not only get you a new client but will ensure that you keep your current client base. It’s easier to keep current clients then it is to get new ones.
               8. set up a website. Have a page for each of your services, and have links to your business partners/colleagues (see #2). Have your newsletters accessible, and have links to other authorities who are affiliated with your work. Make it a site that your clients or prospects can come to ‘meet’ you, and determine that you’re a professional. By the way, make your site stand for who you are: make your personality shine through. For example, I have 2 main sites: one is to introduce my Buying Facilitation Method, and it’s mainstream looking to make a large number of people comfortable with a revolutionary idea. My keynote site is creative, flowing, powerful, and fun: this introduces my character as a speaker – very different from an information based site as my other one is.

               These ideas should get you started. Just remember to stay ‘open’ and flexible to whatever will be necessary to have people decide that you will be part of the solution they need to embrace to solve their problem.

               Good luck.