Tomorrow, September 1st, I'll be starting a Twitter exercise of my own which I hope that you will join me for. For the next 100 days I'll be posting a Biz Success Question of the Day - 100 questions in total. You can follow me @jennbritton.
Many of you know that I've offered the 90 Day Biz Success program for the last few years. It's a program designed to support business owners in their own business growth. We meet over a 3 month period as a small group and 1-1 to look at core business areas (systems, marketing, social marketing) and take forward action on your business. We cover topics such as:
- Developing (or refining) your business vision and values
- Identifying and movning through limiting business beliefs
- Developing core business sytems (bugeting)
- Identifying your competitive advantage (what your strengths are and what makes you stand out)
- Creating your marketing strategy for the next 12 months
- Leveraging social media and networking for your benefit
The next 90 Day BizSuccess program will start on Friday September 10th (11-12 noon Eastern), with registration currently open. There's space for 8 business owners to join me. Will you be one of them?
I hope that you will enjoy the 100 day Biz Success Questions whether you are a leader of a team, a professional or a business owner. Log on to http://www.twitter.com/jennbritton to follow me this fall!
Looking forward to your comments!
Warm regards,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Author of Effective Group Coaching
Phone: (416) 996-8326
Email: info(at)potentialsrealized.com
Showing posts with label Women in Business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Women in Business. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, October 08, 2007
How To Use Your Website to Disqualify Your Prospects
It's been a few silent weeks for me on the blog, as I have been juggling a number of projects with clients -- a business planning program for entrepreneurs, some corporate work around virtual teams and my regular executive and team coaching client work. I should be here a little more frequently in the coming weeks!
I wanted to share with you yet another great post from Donna Gunter, the Online Biz Resource Queen. I love Donna's writing and information - you can check her out at http://www.onlinebizu.com/.
If you are a small business owner this should be of interest to you:
How to Use Your Website to Disqualify Your Prospects
by Donna Gunter, The Online Biz Resource Queen (TM)
How many hours have you spent this week with prospective clients who are great at draining your time and energy but can't seem to find the money or desire to hire you? I've had my weeks when the number is larger than I'd like to admit. Consequently, several years ago I implemented one strategy that has been my secret weapon in my client cultivation process -- I use my website to disqualify as many prospects as I can.
You may be saying, "What kind of addle-brained strategy is that, anyway?" Simply put, I don't want to work with everyone, as everyone is not my ideal client nor in my target market. A business owner who belonged to the same networking group to which I once belonged was completely flummoxed by what he read on my site. He told me that he had never visited a site in which someone very clearly stated who she was, what she does, and with whom she works. Of course, he thought I was very foolish to be so rigid and turn away clients and "leave money on the table." I confidently told him that I didn't mind leaving money on the table, as there was more than enough to go around. He didn't get it then, and probably doesn't to this day.
Deciding to use your website to disqualify prospects is a very liberating experience. Without a doubt, it shows the world that you know and understand your target market, and that target market feels right at home when visiting your site. Those who don't feel at home leave and find another provider who is a better fit for them. When you disqualify prospects, you:
1. eliminate the tire kickers who have no intention of ever hiring you;
2. create customers who call and say, "When can we get started?" rather than have to be sold on the merits of your service;
and3. decrease the number of information collectors who only want to take your time and energy and, and when they have sucked you dry, move on to the next victim.
To best disqualify prospects, I believe that full transparency about your business is key. When a prospect visits your website, she should fully understand all that there is to know about doing business with you, and have no questions about how you work with clients.
Here are 8 pieces of information that you can include on your website to make doing business with you as seamless, transparent, and easy as possible:
1. Target market. Who comprises your target market? What gender are they? Where do they live? How old are they? How much money do they make? What do they do for a living? Where do they hang out on- and offline? To what civic and professional groups do they belong? Use as many adjectives as you can brainstorm to describe them. If you can actually visualize this group of people in your head (and personally know people who fit this description), then you've got an accurate portrait of your target market. Describe your target market in enough detail on your site so that members of your target market recognize themselves when they arrive at your website.
2. Ideal client. What are the characteristics of the clients with whom you most enjoy working? What are their beliefs? What values do they hold dear? What industries are they in? What are the traits and qualities of great colleagues/bosses/friends that made them enjoyable to work with or be around? Are there foundational issues that need to be in place before someone is ready to work with you? Sometimes it's easiest to generate this list by thinking of the traits of your nightmare clients. This strategy isn't always foolproof, as many prospects can't objectively judge themselves (i.e. they refer to themselves as "totally involved" in a project when most people might experience that as "micromanaging").
3. Know their problems. What keeps your clients up at night and causes them great anxiety and stress? What are the reasons that they seek your assistance? If you need to get a better understanding of the problems of your target market, set up 30-minute interviews over coffee or over the phone with people who fit your ideal client profile and ask them a series of questions about things you want to know more about that will give you insight into their daily lives. Or, join in and participate in their online discussion lists, forums. or blogs and research the kinds of questions being posted. On your website, convey that you fully understand their struggles and difficulties and have walked in their shoes.
4. Solution to their problems. Once a visitor understands that you work with others like him who struggle with same types of issues, that visitor wants to know how you can help him solve his problems. Do you have a process, method, program, or strategy? Is that solution delivered via information products, a consulting contract, a service call, or a service purchase? Do you offer various ways at varied price points to help your target market solve their problems?
5. Demonstration of your expertise. Prospects want to know that you've successfully helped others like them. Scatter client testimonials throughout your site, or post case studies or before-and-after scenarios to show how you helped others in this target market successfully solve a particular problem. Information-rich content also serves to help you demonstrate your expertise, so don't be timid about telling your visitors what you know by posting articles you have written that showcase your knowledge. Don't be afraid to give away your knowledge -- 95% of your visitors won't be able to do it on their own, and you'll be the top-of-mind pick when they are ready to take action.
6. Post prices. Don't assume your visitors will want to call you to discover what you charge. If there are no prices listed, many will leave and go to another site where fees are listed. Post your fees on your website so that prospects can tell if they are easily able to afford what you charge. Conventional marketing strategy says that you should have a conversation with prospects and demonstrate your value before you talk price. I think that's hogwash, and quite frankly, I don't have the time to have these conversations. Use your website to give your prospects a clear idea of what it's going to cost them to hire you or buy from you.
7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Are there questions you answer time and time again? Instead of taking your valuable time to do this, create a FAQ page on your site that answers these commonly-asked questions, and provide a contact form for other questions that someone might have.
8. Barriers to Enrollment: If you offer a consulting-type service, you may offer a comp consultation to prospects who are interested in hiring you. Many times this session simply turns into a "brain drain" session, and the prospect is there only for what he can get without paying from you. Make sure that your prospect is serious about taking action by making him take some action in order to speak with you. You might require him to complete an online assessment or survey before you agree to speak with him. A fellow business coach requires prospective consulting clients to show up with a check for $1000-$5000 and business plans, marketing plans, financial documents and every other document that is relevant to the project they are discussing. The prospects who balk at this are immediately disqualified, and the coach moves on to the next prospect.
Don't let the task of qualifying prospects drain you of your time and energy. As a service business owner, your time is your greatest asset. Use your website to your advantage and screen out all of those prospects who are not qualified prospects.
Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To claim your FR*EE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at OnlineBizU.com. Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at AskDonnaGunter.com.
I wanted to share with you yet another great post from Donna Gunter, the Online Biz Resource Queen. I love Donna's writing and information - you can check her out at http://www.onlinebizu.com/.
If you are a small business owner this should be of interest to you:
How to Use Your Website to Disqualify Your Prospects
by Donna Gunter, The Online Biz Resource Queen (TM)
How many hours have you spent this week with prospective clients who are great at draining your time and energy but can't seem to find the money or desire to hire you? I've had my weeks when the number is larger than I'd like to admit. Consequently, several years ago I implemented one strategy that has been my secret weapon in my client cultivation process -- I use my website to disqualify as many prospects as I can.
You may be saying, "What kind of addle-brained strategy is that, anyway?" Simply put, I don't want to work with everyone, as everyone is not my ideal client nor in my target market. A business owner who belonged to the same networking group to which I once belonged was completely flummoxed by what he read on my site. He told me that he had never visited a site in which someone very clearly stated who she was, what she does, and with whom she works. Of course, he thought I was very foolish to be so rigid and turn away clients and "leave money on the table." I confidently told him that I didn't mind leaving money on the table, as there was more than enough to go around. He didn't get it then, and probably doesn't to this day.
Deciding to use your website to disqualify prospects is a very liberating experience. Without a doubt, it shows the world that you know and understand your target market, and that target market feels right at home when visiting your site. Those who don't feel at home leave and find another provider who is a better fit for them. When you disqualify prospects, you:
1. eliminate the tire kickers who have no intention of ever hiring you;
2. create customers who call and say, "When can we get started?" rather than have to be sold on the merits of your service;
and3. decrease the number of information collectors who only want to take your time and energy and, and when they have sucked you dry, move on to the next victim.
To best disqualify prospects, I believe that full transparency about your business is key. When a prospect visits your website, she should fully understand all that there is to know about doing business with you, and have no questions about how you work with clients.
Here are 8 pieces of information that you can include on your website to make doing business with you as seamless, transparent, and easy as possible:
1. Target market. Who comprises your target market? What gender are they? Where do they live? How old are they? How much money do they make? What do they do for a living? Where do they hang out on- and offline? To what civic and professional groups do they belong? Use as many adjectives as you can brainstorm to describe them. If you can actually visualize this group of people in your head (and personally know people who fit this description), then you've got an accurate portrait of your target market. Describe your target market in enough detail on your site so that members of your target market recognize themselves when they arrive at your website.
2. Ideal client. What are the characteristics of the clients with whom you most enjoy working? What are their beliefs? What values do they hold dear? What industries are they in? What are the traits and qualities of great colleagues/bosses/friends that made them enjoyable to work with or be around? Are there foundational issues that need to be in place before someone is ready to work with you? Sometimes it's easiest to generate this list by thinking of the traits of your nightmare clients. This strategy isn't always foolproof, as many prospects can't objectively judge themselves (i.e. they refer to themselves as "totally involved" in a project when most people might experience that as "micromanaging").
3. Know their problems. What keeps your clients up at night and causes them great anxiety and stress? What are the reasons that they seek your assistance? If you need to get a better understanding of the problems of your target market, set up 30-minute interviews over coffee or over the phone with people who fit your ideal client profile and ask them a series of questions about things you want to know more about that will give you insight into their daily lives. Or, join in and participate in their online discussion lists, forums. or blogs and research the kinds of questions being posted. On your website, convey that you fully understand their struggles and difficulties and have walked in their shoes.
4. Solution to their problems. Once a visitor understands that you work with others like him who struggle with same types of issues, that visitor wants to know how you can help him solve his problems. Do you have a process, method, program, or strategy? Is that solution delivered via information products, a consulting contract, a service call, or a service purchase? Do you offer various ways at varied price points to help your target market solve their problems?
5. Demonstration of your expertise. Prospects want to know that you've successfully helped others like them. Scatter client testimonials throughout your site, or post case studies or before-and-after scenarios to show how you helped others in this target market successfully solve a particular problem. Information-rich content also serves to help you demonstrate your expertise, so don't be timid about telling your visitors what you know by posting articles you have written that showcase your knowledge. Don't be afraid to give away your knowledge -- 95% of your visitors won't be able to do it on their own, and you'll be the top-of-mind pick when they are ready to take action.
6. Post prices. Don't assume your visitors will want to call you to discover what you charge. If there are no prices listed, many will leave and go to another site where fees are listed. Post your fees on your website so that prospects can tell if they are easily able to afford what you charge. Conventional marketing strategy says that you should have a conversation with prospects and demonstrate your value before you talk price. I think that's hogwash, and quite frankly, I don't have the time to have these conversations. Use your website to give your prospects a clear idea of what it's going to cost them to hire you or buy from you.
7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Are there questions you answer time and time again? Instead of taking your valuable time to do this, create a FAQ page on your site that answers these commonly-asked questions, and provide a contact form for other questions that someone might have.
8. Barriers to Enrollment: If you offer a consulting-type service, you may offer a comp consultation to prospects who are interested in hiring you. Many times this session simply turns into a "brain drain" session, and the prospect is there only for what he can get without paying from you. Make sure that your prospect is serious about taking action by making him take some action in order to speak with you. You might require him to complete an online assessment or survey before you agree to speak with him. A fellow business coach requires prospective consulting clients to show up with a check for $1000-$5000 and business plans, marketing plans, financial documents and every other document that is relevant to the project they are discussing. The prospects who balk at this are immediately disqualified, and the coach moves on to the next prospect.
Don't let the task of qualifying prospects drain you of your time and energy. As a service business owner, your time is your greatest asset. Use your website to your advantage and screen out all of those prospects who are not qualified prospects.
Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To claim your FR*EE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at OnlineBizU.com. Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at AskDonnaGunter.com.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
90 Day Biz Success Program Starts July 10th
Back by popular demand, the 90 Day Biz Success program starts July 10th. This powerful group coaching program is designed for both new entrepreneurs who are looking to launch their business, as well as experienced entrepreneurs who are wanting to accelerate to the next level.
This ninety-day program combines two group coaching sessions per month (by phone) along with a thirty minute individual coaching session with Certified Coach Jennifer Britton each month. Course participants also receive thirty-six business tips delivered to their email box, three times a week, as well as a toolbox of resources in the program workbook. Course size is limited to 8 business owners to ensure individualized attention.
The program will be held from mid-July to mid-October on Tuesdays from 7-8pm (EDT). The group calls will be held on July 10, 24, August 7, 21, September 4 and 18th with the final celebration call on October 9th. Monthly individual coaching sessions will held a time convenient for the business owner.
Benefit from the momentum created in a group environment, and join other business owners from across North America in this intensive business success program.
Participants will:
* Develop or refine their business vision
* Explore their unique strengths and abilities as a business person, identifying areas for improvement
* Identify opportunities for collaboration and partnerships with other business owners
* Develop their marketing strategy and budget
* Investigate how their business can leverage technology to build their client base and increase sales through an introduction to blogs, podcasts and other platforms
* Develop a concrete business and marketing action plan for 2007
One session will be dedicated to additional topics that matter most to participants.
The program includes:
* 7 one-hour interactive teleseminar programs;
* Bi-weekly topic module notes and resource links;
* 36 business tips delivered to your in-box, three times a week during the 90 day program;
* Three individual 30 minute coaching sessions with Coach Jennifer Britton (held once a month by phone);
* A group follow-up call one month after the program (at a time convenient for the group)
Benefit from the momentum created in a group environment, and join other business owners from across North America in this intensive business success program.
Participants will:
* Develop or refine their business vision
* Explore their unique strengths and abilities as a business person, identifying areas for improvement
* Identify opportunities for collaboration and partnerships with other business owners
* Develop their marketing strategy and budget
* Investigate how their business can leverage technology to build their client base and increase sales through an introduction to blogs, podcasts and other platforms
* Develop a concrete business and marketing action plan for 2007
One session will be dedicated to additional topics that matter most to participants.
The program includes:
* 7 one-hour interactive teleseminar programs;
* Bi-weekly topic module notes and resource links;
* 36 business tips delivered to your in-box, three times a week during the 90 day program;
* Three individual 30 minute coaching sessions with Coach Jennifer Britton (held once a month by phone);
* A group follow-up call one month after the program (at a time convenient for the group)
The cost of the summer program is $297 US (that's only $97/month) if paid in one installment. You can also pay in three installments of $119 US. Prices will be going up in September when the next 90 Day program starts. Space is limited to 8 and will likely go fast.
To register, contact me toll free at 1-866-217-1960 or pay by PayPal at the website. Further information about the program and our upcoming 5 week Developing Your Business Vision teleseminar program (starts June 18) can be found here.
I hope that you will join me for either one of these exciting programs this summer, designed to move your business forward!
With best wishes,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: info[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com
Monday, June 12, 2006
Women in Business Stats - Canada
Earlier this year I contributed to a resource publication put out by the York, South Simcoe Training and Adjustment Board, called Statrting Your Own Business: A Guide for Women in York Region. It is a very practical guide and resource collection for women thinking of, or beginning to, start their own business.
Did you know....
To obtain your own copy of the publication, visit the York South Simcoe Training and Adjustment Board at www.ysstab.on.ca.
I will be announcing in the next few weeks our fall line-up of programs (teleseminars, retreats) geared for business owners, and also a couple of programs specifically geared to women in business. Please keep posted!
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
Web: www.potentialsrealized.com
Email: jennifer@potentialsrealized.com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Did you know....
- There are currently more than 800, 000 women entrepreneurs in Canada and this figure has been growing at an average annual rate of 3.3% since 1989
- Ontario is home to 40% of all women-run small businesses in Canada
- Over the past 15 years, the number of women-run businesses has risen 60% faster than those run by men
- More than 82% of women small business owners say that if given the choice, they would definitely open their own business again
(Source: Starting Your Own Business: A Guide for Women in York Region, 2006)
As a business coach, business teacher and a female business owner I find these stats very interesting, and very reflective of our Canadian business climate. How many of you are female business owners?To obtain your own copy of the publication, visit the York South Simcoe Training and Adjustment Board at www.ysstab.on.ca.
I will be announcing in the next few weeks our fall line-up of programs (teleseminars, retreats) geared for business owners, and also a couple of programs specifically geared to women in business. Please keep posted!
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
Web: www.potentialsrealized.com
Email: jennifer@potentialsrealized.com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
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