Attracting,Clients,from,the,Ou marketing Attracting Clients from the Outside In

Automation technologies represent a fundamental aspect of any modern industry. The major types of industrial automation solutions, such as DCS, PLC, SCADA, and MES, are used on a large-scale in process and discrete industries.DCS technologie Awhile ago, I got an email from one of the "gurus" I follow and it shocked me. The gist of it was this person wanted to trade services for a household item.To say it floored me would be an understatement.What was worse was a few days later t

Last weeksomeone asked me, “what’s the biggest mistake solo professionals andsmall business owners make in attracting new business?” Every time I get askedthat, the answer is always the same: failing to understand the clients’ orcustomers’ needs, and failing to look at the business relationship from theirperspective. Business happens onlybecause one party has a need or desire, and another party has a service orproduct that fills that need or desire. No need or desire, no business. Noservice or product, no business. Another way to think aboutit is Economics 101: supply (product/service) and demand (need/desire). The big mistake mostsmall business owners make is to think about and talk about their product orservice, believing the customer actually cares. They don’t. All they care about is getting theirneeds met, and if they don’t understand you as the person to help them withthat, they’ll quickly move on to someone they think can. Notice I say, “someone theythink can,” not, “someone who can.” It’s all about your prospective customer’spoint of view. By the way, for those ofyou who are actors, don’t think this doesn’t apply to you. Just like any otherself-employed person, you have clients too. Yours just happen to be agents,casting directors, producers, etc.; they all have their own needs and problems,and you’re one of the people that can help fill those needs. Understandyourself as offering a solution, and you’ll get more work more consistently,because you’ll be developing lasting business relationships. Let’s look at ahypothetical example of two people out marketing their services. Consultant A goes out andgives a talk about what he offers, to his local Chamber of Commerce. He saysthings such as, “we excel at business to business communication, developingstrategies for a constantly changing marketplace.” He may be the absolute bestin the business and what he says may be true. Yet his audience is giving himyawns, because he’s talking about what he does, without addressing theirconcerns. They don’t see how it relates to them. He may even talk aboutbenefits, e.g., “we help businesses communicate better with other businesses,creating strategies that make it easier to adapt.” That’s a little better, butthe audience still doesn’t see how it applies to their needs or concerns. Now take Consultant B whospeaks at her chamber’s meeting, starting out by asking a few key questions.“Are you frustrated by technical communication breakdowns? Bewildered bychanging technology? Feel like your competitors have the edge? We clear awaythe anxiety and confusion by helping you adapt to a speed-of-lightmarketplace.” Get the difference? Thereal need for the potential client isn’t bad communication or a lack ofstrategies; the real need is their frustration about bad communication. It’stheir confusion. It’s the fear that their competition is beating them. Consultant B immediatelygets the attention of anyone in the room that has those feelings and issues.Here’s why: 1. She appeals to theprospective clients where they are, for a moment seeing the world throughtheir eyes. 2. She appeals to theiremotions, touching a nerve. This is always more powerful than justpresenting information. 3. She demonstratesright off the bat that she understands the client and their issues, andthat she’s the person to help them. It’s worth pointing outthat this idea of seeing the situation through the eyes of the other partyisn’t restricted to business. Common sense tells us it’s one of the keys toeffective communication and harmonious relationships. Practice it with thepeople in your personal life and notice in different results you get. THE CALL TO ACTIONHere are a couple ofexercises to go through to help you see things through your customers’ &clients’ eyes. First, take a deeperlook at the marketing of others. 1. Go to some websites ofproducts or services you might be interested in. 2. Notice the way they wordtheir message. Does it relate to you? Does it get at some need or desire youhave? Does it touch a nerve you have? 3. Write some notes aboutspecifically what others do that has a compelling effect on you. Note what theysay and how they say it when something makes you want to buy from them. Notewhat makes you not want to buy. Secondly, change yourown marketing paradigm and language. 1. Make a list of your pastand current clients, and/or the characteristics of your ideal client. 2. For each one, note theneed they have, i.e., the problem or concern. Phrase it in a way that gets attheir emotional state. For example, “they are frustrated, or struggling to getmore clients.” 3. Write a brief statementof the way you fill that need. This is not the process you use or a descriptionof your product; it’s the solution to the problem. Remember our examples above?Consultant A presented his process and nobody related to it. Consultant B letthem know she can handle their issue and quickly and easily resolve it. 4. Go out and start talkingto people in a way that reflects the first three steps. Let them know youunderstand where they are and you can help. Focus everything you say to peoplein a way that relates it back to where they are. 5. Notice the change inresponse you get. Keep listening deeply and tweak your message as needed. The bottom line is that commercethrives when needs get met. Businesses and entrepreneurs are successfulwhen they put themselves in their clients’ & customers’ shoes, and thentailor their message to reflect what they find there. Untilnext month, here’s to understanding your market better and, getting morebusiness, and making the market a better place to do business.