I'll start with a simple confession. I need to write this post more than you likely need to read it.
You know what I'm talking about right? I know all the things I'm supposed to do. But when I sit down to re-do my home page or the landing page for my coaching service, I realize that I'm not doing what I know I should be doing.
So today I'm giving you a dose of what I said to myself as I looked in the mirror today after my daily nap. Yup – it's always easier to be honest with yourself after a nap.
If you want to be prepared, you need to ask yourself 7 questions
Here are the seven questions I'd ask you if you and I were sitting at a cafe talking about your consulting, freelance, or small business.
One: What makes you different?
More than just that. Are you clear on what makes you different? Don't tell me you value quality. Everyone says it and I've never heard anyone say they don't.
You have to know what corner you're trying to take. And then you need to be really clear in your explanation – because if it takes you 30 minutes, heck even 4 minutes – then it's likely you're not yet as clear as you need to be.
Two: Proven results? Can you talk about them?
Do you have anything to show for your work? When you help others, is there a clear understanding of the value you've delivered?
It's great if you want to share them, but it's even better if you can get your customers to share them. And that means circling back and asking them for testimonials.
I use LinkedIn and Clarity.fm to capture reviews and testimonials, but you can use anything you like. Just get them. And use them.
Three: Where are you clearly stating what you do?
I write a lot on this site. And I help a lot of folks. But I realized, as I got ready to rework my landing page for coaching, that almost nowhere on the site do I explain the coaching.
In fact, it's amazing that the coaching even works as well as it does, since you basically have to guess that I do it and then come pester me to get started.
Are you like that? Are do you have a clear place where you state what you do?
Four: Do you have an understanding of your space that's valuable?
One of the things I do spend time doing is writing about the space that I coach in. It's the best source of leads.
When I write about the theme industry in the WordPress ecosystem, I get people who want to talk or get help with their theme business.
The same is true for plugins. Or hosting. In the end, writing about the industry you're in helps people determine your take and whether they want to work with you.
Five: Is your pricing clear?
You know this. I know this. But I have to keep reminding myself of how important it is for people to have an easy way to get, review and evaluate your pricing.
More importantly and something I share with everyone I talk with, is that there's a ton of research and psychology that goes into pricing. So get help – because it's not easy.
Six: Have you created enough touch points?
I once read that the percentage of likeliness than a person will turn from a prospect to a client increases 5-10% with every interaction.
That means if you want to have a 50/50 shot at winning new business, you better be prepared to interact five or more times.
I've seen this true in my world often. It's after someone has read, commented and sent in questions over and over that they come to have a relationship with me, and it results in doing some business.
But it's rarely the result of a single email campaign.
Seven: Are you ready to work?
At the end of the day, the seventh question is maybe the most important.
Are you ready to work at this? This isn't just a quick yes/no question. It's at the core of winning new business. Because it's never simple.
The level of work you put into things will have a direct consequence on the number of leads you interact with.
While it can't guarantee you business, the truth is that the more leads you have, the larger your result will be.
But you don't need me to tell you that.
Now what?
If you've answered those seven questions, and you have all of that done, and you still need some help with strategy around finding your ideal clients, guess what?
You're in a good spot. Because helping you find and get leverage is one of the things I do.
Using a combination of copywriting, psychology, industry knowledge, and product experience – I can help you with strategy.