A254 - Finding Clients Lesson #10: Who do you hang with?
02/28/19 • 6 min
I'm continuing here today with the tenth lesson in the "Finding clients" series.
This is the no-nonsense series of lessons that work in today's market to find clients you want to be working with on a consistent basis.
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Who do you hang with?
And I'm not talking about your family and friends either. That you are on your own (although support matters so choose wisely).
What I mean is the group of business colleagues and friends you can trust. That you can bounce ideas off around with. That you can be frank and give them the real you.
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👉 For full show notes to this episode & more resources for you.
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There are different communities and groups you can join obviously.
I'm going to share something very important with you in a minute here on why all this matters.
Masterminds
High level masterminds can be both paid and free. Maybe, like myself, you have been a part of one or both kinds already.
What I've found from them is that you really have to connect with them like no other group. At first, find a common aspect that you can appreciate in the others. Find a common element within the group that makes the group stronger than the individuals combined. This could be something like a goal each of you have. It could be that each of you work online or have a store. It could be location too.
That element will spark the idea to join but also be able to carry you through. Because once that initial euphoria and emotion and excitement dies down after a few meetings, you'll need that something to carry you through.
Paid Memberships & Closed Groups
These are very similar. From my experience though the closed groups are usually those that are ran by someone in business who you've become close with and then start up.
Whereas paid memberships and communities, like Feast for example, are built on the specificity of the transformation of those who join.
These are often built on the back of courses, but the community is often where bonds are formed and relationships are built because you want to accomplish similar things in your business.
In those relationships too is gold. I have friends that have grown out of those communities that I paid to be in.
I've received lots of work from inside those communities directly or indirectly through referrals.
When you joined a mastermind or closed community, you know that the people in there are willing to invest into their growth. Whether that's time and/or money.
They are also amazing avenues for warm leads too because they are running a business, understand what you do, and then can refer you work when the opportunity arises.
Here's the biggest, most important reason why who you hang with is important though. Accountability.
You don't want to disappoint someone who you respect.
When you tell that someone you will do something, you'll want to rise up no matter what and do it.
If you don't respect someone, then you won't care whether you disappoint someone or not.
Who you hang with is vital to your business growth, finding clients, because it's your reputation and reputation matters in business now more than ever.
I'm continuing here today with the tenth lesson in the "Finding clients" series.
This is the no-nonsense series of lessons that work in today's market to find clients you want to be working with on a consistent basis.
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Who do you hang with?
And I'm not talking about your family and friends either. That you are on your own (although support matters so choose wisely).
What I mean is the group of business colleagues and friends you can trust. That you can bounce ideas off around with. That you can be frank and give them the real you.
-------------------
👉 For full show notes to this episode & more resources for you.
-------------------
There are different communities and groups you can join obviously.
I'm going to share something very important with you in a minute here on why all this matters.
Masterminds
High level masterminds can be both paid and free. Maybe, like myself, you have been a part of one or both kinds already.
What I've found from them is that you really have to connect with them like no other group. At first, find a common aspect that you can appreciate in the others. Find a common element within the group that makes the group stronger than the individuals combined. This could be something like a goal each of you have. It could be that each of you work online or have a store. It could be location too.
That element will spark the idea to join but also be able to carry you through. Because once that initial euphoria and emotion and excitement dies down after a few meetings, you'll need that something to carry you through.
Paid Memberships & Closed Groups
These are very similar. From my experience though the closed groups are usually those that are ran by someone in business who you've become close with and then start up.
Whereas paid memberships and communities, like Feast for example, are built on the specificity of the transformation of those who join.
These are often built on the back of courses, but the community is often where bonds are formed and relationships are built because you want to accomplish similar things in your business.
In those relationships too is gold. I have friends that have grown out of those communities that I paid to be in.
I've received lots of work from inside those communities directly or indirectly through referrals.
When you joined a mastermind or closed community, you know that the people in there are willing to invest into their growth. Whether that's time and/or money.
They are also amazing avenues for warm leads too because they are running a business, understand what you do, and then can refer you work when the opportunity arises.
Here's the biggest, most important reason why who you hang with is important though. Accountability.
You don't want to disappoint someone who you respect.
When you tell that someone you will do something, you'll want to rise up no matter what and do it.
If you don't respect someone, then you won't care whether you disappoint someone or not.
Who you hang with is vital to your business growth, finding clients, because it's your reputation and reputation matters in business now more than ever.
Previous Episode
A253 - Finding Clients Lesson #9: Look at your pricing
I'm continuing here today with the eighth lesson in the "Finding clients" series.
This is the no-nonsense series of lessons that work in today's market to find clients you want to be working with on a consistent basis.
Today's lesson will introduce the phrase "You get what you're paid for."
Yes, I said "you're paid" not "you pay".
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👉 For full show notes to this episode & more resources for you
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I walked to the office every single day back in 1999-2001 from Penn Station up to 37nd Street.
Most days, usually if there wasn't terrible weather, there were the same vendors on the street selling their wares. Scarfs, souvenirs, jewelry, music, and handbags.
Of course all for the "best price."
People would be lined up to haggle, especially during the holidays or on nice days.
A "Rolex" for $10, a "Louis Vuitton" bag for $25 - people would be there buying these things.
Sure they knew they weren't getting the real thing, so why did they buy it still?
Well one day, I saw a pair of "Oakley" sunglasses for $8 and I always liked the style of them, I just didn't want to pay the $250 for them at the time. So I picked them up.
I didn't care so much for them in the end, but I only paid $8 for them.
Had I lost them, sat on them, or they broke after a month of use, it was only $8.
Like myself, the other people felt much in the same way when buying from these vendors.
It was the cheap knockoff that looked like the real deal. Ultimately there wasn't any respect for the product, because it was the "best price".
We, as the customers buying these knock-offs were paying for something that we had already come to accept certain flaws and imperfections and were willing to pay the "best price" for.
Is your price worthy of respect?
You want your clients to value what you do. You want them to respect your suggestions and experience.
When was the last time you looked at your pricing?
Are you charging by the hour or by the project?
Is what you are charging positioned with other vendors in the market or positioned based on the ROI to the customer?
Charging $1000 for a full website design and build is not a price that's worthy of respect.
Charging $50 per hour for full-stack development is a price that's not worth of respect.
These are the "best price".
If your platform for getting work is something like Upwork or one of these freelance job boards, have a listen to how other business owners talk about their use for these boards. They are looking for "best price", first.
There's nothing wrong with selling something at the "best price". But then don't expect that your clients will look at what you do for them in any other way.
They will want it a certain way and want to get a specific use out of it and looking for that bottom basement price.
Attracting clients that respect your value, respect your experience and expertise comes with respecting yourself and what value you put on your work through your prices.
Someone who is looking to buy the real Rolex or Louis Vuitton handbag isn't going to be worried about the price. They want the quality, the luxury, the experience that product brings to the table.
The price of these products attract the kind of customer that respects and desires those things.
If you ask yourself why clients micromanage you.
If you want your clients to respect your suggestions.
If you want to have clients stop haggling you on price.
Then think about your pricing and what how it's attracting the type of customer you are getting.
You get what you're paid for.
Next Episode
A255 - Finding Clients Lesson #11: Group Coaching for Leads
I'm continuing here today with the eleventh and final lesson in the "Finding clients" series.
This is the no-nonsense series of lessons that work in today's market to find clients you want to be working with on a consistent basis.
Group coaching for leads. WHAT?!? 🤔
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👉 For full show notes to this episode & more resources for you.
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You've heard about group coaching before in the context for your business.
I met Lauren Pawell, founder of BixaMedia, a marketing strategy firm, a couple of years ago.
In fact, she was the very first guest on Live In The Feast Season 1 Episode 3.
She inspired this idea of bringing your leads together in one space so that you can then vet the good fit en masse.
Let me explain how this works.
You get a lead as you normally would, but instead of getting on a one-on-one call with them, you get them to an educational webinar.
Get them to sign up and as a group, you run through some educational material for them, provide ridiculous value in a way that allows all the leads to walk away with something beneficial to them.
They also know and understand the type of work that you do, who you help, and if you may be a good fit for them.
Then towards the end of that webinar, you present them with an application for them to be able to work with you.
Lauren shared some of her KPIs that she aims for with registration, attendance, and applications.
The part of this I like the most is that you are spending one hour of time with say 5-10, maybe 20 people and weed out those that aren't a good fit. Rather than one hour with each individual to weed them out.
As a result, you are only spending time on those that raise their hand to want to work with you. But those that don't still walk away with value from you, something that's helpful to them in that moment to move them forward.
Lauren said that of those who fill out the application, she'll close 80% of them.
That's such an amazing use of time.
In fact, she sent me an email just last week that as of January 2nd, she's booked solid for 2019.
The only work that they are taking on is Strategy Sessions.
Since I heard about this idea, I've looked for ways in which I can leverage this in my own business. Because as I said, it's such effective use of time and provides the same amount of value as you would if you continued the sales process as you do today.
A good place to start with this is with past clients. You already know who they are and that you'll want to work with them again.
Remember in lesson 7 we talked about those up level skills? Take the skills that you've learned since working with them and package up something to sell.
Send an email with some registration link and get them all on a call. Practice your delivery and then pitch with that application.
It's as simple as that.
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