Jim's Marketing Blog

Marketing tips and ideas to help you grow your business

It’s yours for the taking

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take initiative, marketing

There’s a remarkable opportunity right in front of you. And it’s yours for the taking.

For the taking?

Yes!

Think about it: No one gives you the initiative. You take the initiative.

This means you’re free.

  • Free to encourage those around you.
  • Free to offer the best customer service in your industry.
  • Free to build a business that offers you the lifestyle you want.
  • Free to have your name used as a byword for excellence.
  • Free to become the best possible version of you.

Of course, you’re also free not to. And that’s perfectly fine. So long as you’re clear that it’s a choice. Your choice.

Because the initiative is taken, not given.

Could logic be hurting your business? Yes it could. Here’s why!

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marketing stories, storytelling

Why do some prospective clients choose an inferior provider, even after you’ve demonstrated that you offer a far better service?

I was thinking about this earlier. A friend of mine bought a new vehicle, which carries 7 people. He’s married. They have one child and no pets. I asked him why he chose to buy a vehicle with so many seats.

He said, “I don’t know, Jim. I don’t need all those seats. I just really like it”.

The problem with logic

Here’s the thing: Most of the purchasing decisions we make seem to defy logic.

Instead, we hire someone or buy something, based on the way we feel about them / it.

So, here’s a quick tip.

If you find you’re losing prospective clients to competitors, even after you’ve clearly explained why you’re the best choice, try focusing less on logic. This means fewer graphs. Fewer numbers. Fewer facts.

Instead, tell them a better story. A story that’s consistent with the way they need to feel, in order to hire you or buy from you. When they feel comfortable with you, when they feel like you’re the right option… you become the obvious choice.

This will help you get it right: Why storytelling is the cornerstone of successful marketing.

We’ve always done it this way

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comfort zone, always done it this way

That’s got to be one of the very worst reasons to do anything in business.

Do it because it works, sure.

Do it because it generates increasing returns, absolutely.

But doing something a certain way, purely because you’ve always done it that way, makes no commercial sense.

Why?

Because although a business owner’s approach may remain static, the marketplace is changing. And the pace of change is accelerating. This means the approach you use needs to adapt, if you want it to work. Interestingly, this applies to all forms of marketing. Not just digital (internet) marketing.

For example

Here’s just one very common example. Until recently, if a service provider offered an outstanding service, that was enough to ensure they received a regular flow of referrals. They could build a valuable client base, from word of mouth recommendations alone.

Today, that’s no longer enough. Times have changed. Unless you use the correct approach, delighted clients will no longer feel inspired to tell their friends and contacts about you. If you work in any service-based profession, you’ll already know this. There are a few additional steps you need to take, to attract great referrals, which were unnecessary just a few years ago.

As a business owner, you need to be aware of changes like this. Then adapt your marketing approach accordingly.

Fear not my friend!

Here are some of my top marketing tips and ideas — yours now, for free. The information is updated regularly and will provide you with lots of workable marketing advice, most of which you can get started on today.

How to be lucky in business

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lucky, how to be, business luck

I get called Lucky Jim… a lot. Here’s my secret, plus how you too can get lucky in business.

It starts with understanding a basic truth: In business, the numbers WILL work for you. BUT only if you let them.

Think about it: You can try new ideas or new strategies repeatedly and still keep moving. You only need to hit the jackpot once for it to improve your life beyond measure.

The challenge is that most small business owners get those numbers all mixed up.

They treat business as if one failure or one poor decision will surely ruin everything. So, they spend their days trying to avoid failure.

And in trying to insulate themselves from failure, they actually insulate themselves from meaningful success.

A very lucky client

I worked with a very lucky lady yesterday, who has grown a million dollar business, from home, in just 24 months. And it’s extremely profitable, too. Next year, it will double (at least) in revenues with even higher profits.

Of course, she isn’t really lucky. She simply applies the right mindset for business success. It’s why she hired me. In fact, it’s the mindset behind every business owner, who has ever hired me. They focus on what they want, rather than what they fear. The difference this mindset makes to their business is impossible to overstate.

That’s how you make the numbers work for you and your business. Good luck my friend!

How to get your marketing in front of people at exactly the right time

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marketing help, marketing advice

When is the best time to market your services to someone?

That’s what today’s post is all about. I’m going to show you how to get your marketing message in front of people at exactly the right time. It’s based on my newest client.

I was prompted to write about this, after Jennifer joined my Marketing Mentor Program. Jennifer’s experience shows the importance of timing. She explained how she’d reached a tipping point. She wasn’t prepared to waste another year, working hard and making too little progress. So, she decided to get in touch with me on Friday and hire me.

There’s a lesson here for you and the way you market your business. And it becomes obvious, as you look behind Jennifer’s actions.

What does this have to do with timing?

Jennifer’s desire to own a better, more profitable business is what motivated her to take action. However, in order for her to consider me as the obvious choice, I needed to be where her attention was, at the point where she was motivated to take action.

You need to do the same. You need to be where your prospective client’s attention is, when they need what you have to offer.

Most small business owners only market their services intermittently. There’s usually weeks and often months between their marketing efforts. And because of the importance of being there precisely when their prospective clients need them, this stacks the odds against them.

If you’re getting low response rates from your marketing, you’ll already know exactly what I mean. Because no matter how great your services are, if you catch people at the wrong time, they won’t hire you.

Thankfully, this doesn’t need to happen to you ever again!

Here’s a proven, extremely effective alternative.

It works like this

Instead of seeing marketing as something you do occasionally, start treating it as an ongoing part of your business. This is how you ensure your name is front of mind, when a prospective client needs you. This is critically important, if you want people to hire you.

For example, Jennifer had been a reader of mine for months, before she hired me. She already knew who I was and she knew my work. So, she trusted me. Then, one of my posts landed in her inbox at the point when she was looking for help.

I became, in her words, “the obvious choice”.

Be there when they need you

Quit marketing like it’s a decade ago. Instead, turn up often, with something useful… not just a series of ads, offers and pitches. Consider newsletters, vlogging, blogging via email, podcasting etc, to share your expertise with your prospective clients. Demonstrate your knowledge. Share your passion. Build a connection with your marketplace.

If you do, you’ll be where their attention is, when they need your services.

IMPORTANT: None of those marketing suggestions cost you a dime, unlike; print ads, mailing lists, mail shots, networking groups, Facebook ads, Google pay-per-click, adwords etc.

In other words, so long as you do the right things correctly, there’s no financial barrier to continuously marketing your business. There’s no barrier to being where your prospective client’s attention is, at the point where they’re actively seeking the services YOU provide.

Think about that for a moment.

Is it easy? Yes. Once you know what to do and how to do it correctly, it’s extremely easy.

**Note: There are currently 4 spaces remaining. (All gone.)

Discover the safest, least risky way to grow your business

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marketing, marketing advice

Kelly emailed me with a great question. I know her challenge is something many small business owners encounter, so I thought you might find it useful.

Here’s an excerpt from Kelly’s email, shared with her permission, along with my answer.

“I started my business in 2009 and though it grew for the first 4 years things have been flat ever since. […] My main problem Jim is that I know I need to grow my business but that means changing things and it feels too risky. I carry on doing what I do because the risk factor stops me doing what I need to do. Why am I self sabotaging?”

Understanding risk

Like many, (perhaps most), small business owners, Kelly fears making some of the improvements needed for success. It’s easy to see why: Improvements require change and change feels risky. So, she repeats what feels comfortable, she works hard and hopes things will improve.

The challenge with that approach, as Kelly has discovered, is that it doesn’t work. It’s limited. Extremely limited.

Here are just some common examples of what happens, when we try to avoid risk:

  • We fail to get noticed. To get noticed we need to stand out, which feels risky. Riskier than simply working hard and staying in the background.
  • We fail to be remembered. To be remembered, we need to do something extraordinary. The ordinary is within our comfort zone. The extraordinary is, by default, outside our comfort zone. And leaving our comfort zone feels risky.
  • We fail to attract word of mouth referrals. People only remark on a business when it does something remarkable. It feels risky to deviate from the norm.
  • We fail to attract the best clients and the highest fees. Offering a premium service and charging a premium fee, feels risky. Risky enough for just a tiny percentage of business owners in your industry to even try.
  • We fail to deliver exceptional work for our clients. To do exceptional work, we need to risk delivering something different.
  • We fail to work on the best projects. The best projects go to those who operate at the top end of their marketplace. These are the providers who are daring enough to tackle the trickiest challenges. The mavericks. Maverick work feels way, way riskier than doing average work.

When I work with a client on this challenge, I start by explaining how change is essential, if they want to grow a great business. Because no change equals no improvement. I then work out what’s blocking them and show them how to overcome it.

If you know there are things you should improve, which you’re not doing because the change feels risky, press pause!

Find out why you associate risk to the safest thing you can possibly do. Then develop a strategy for growth. That’s how you start the process of taking your business to another level. And another level…

How blogging can help you attract new clients

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marketing blogs, marketing

In this brief post, I’m going to share one of the least mentioned, yet most powerful benefits of writing a business blog.

I started working with a new client yesterday. With his permission, I’d like to share an excerpt from an email he sent me after our first marketing session:

“When you wrote about your new business model, hiring you was easy. It was like hiring someone I already knew. I’ve been reading your blog posts and using your ideas for at least 3 years. So I already knew you were reliable and that you had the answers my business needs”.

I’ve received almost identical feedback from countless clients over the years.

Make hiring you an easy decision

This is my 10th year writing Jim’s Marketing Blog. Nothing I have ever witnessed in marketing comes close to the power of blogging. Especially, when the blog is delivered via email to subscribers.

Post by post, week by week and year by year, you build a connection with your readers. You position yourself as a familiar, reliable, knowledgeable authority in your field. This builds trust and makes hiring you pretty-much zero risk.

If you are looking for a powerful reason to start (or restart) blogging, this could be it.

Who’s responsible for your results?

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marketing, questions

I spent some time recently with the former owner of a local high street store. He explained that the reason his business flopped, was that the “economy was too weak”.

And he was wrong.

I know a number of the people whose retail outlets are on the same high street as his and although a few have flopped, they are a very small minority. Most are doing fine, others are expanding. Including those with the same target customer profile as him.

Not his fault?

He was blaming the wrong culprit. The reason that guy’s business failed, was that he did too few of the things required for success. In other words, he made it impossible for his business to succeed.

For example, he was trying to compete based on price, against online retailers who had a fraction of his overhead; so he was playing to his weaknesses, rather than his strengths. His in-store experience was also very average. He got way too few customer referrals. There was no buzz about his business.

As you’ve probably guessed, he did all his own marketing himself. He did it himself, because like most small business owners, he lacked the business sense and the confidence to get expert marketing help.

  • The sense, because he thought it didn’t matter.
  • The confidence, because he saw only risk and it scared him.

He told me, “Finding the right expert help isn’t easy, Jim”.

Yes it is!

Check their credentials. If they stack up, hire them. If not, don’t. If someone lacks the judgement to know good from bad, they won’t be in business very long.

Blaming the economy for the failure of his business is like a bank robber blaming the police for being in jail, rather than taking responsibility for having robbed the bank.

We need to be smarter than that. Which, let’s face it, isn’t hard.

You see the blame game everywhere

Listen to the coach of a losing team after a game and you will often hear all kinds of blame being dished out. Listen to the winning coach and you will hear them talking about how effective the planning was and how committed the team was.

The most effective people in any area of life take responsibility for their actions and inactions. The buck stops with them.

They wouldn’t have it any other way.

Why?

Because accepting responsibility gives them complete freedom. It motivates them to do the right things, correctly… knowing that the right results will surely follow. So, if you want more sales, get a better marketing plan and work that plan.

Every business owner is faced with just 2 choices, when it comes to the development of their business:

  1. Take responsibility. Decide what you want. Get the help you need. Then do the work.
  2. Or find an excuse not to.

Sure, that’s not much of a choice. In fact, if you want your business to thrive, it’s no choice at all.

10 Ways to create unstoppable momentum for your business

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Marketing

Today could be just another day for you. Alternatively, you can decide, right now, to create some real momentum for you and your business.

Here are 10 ways to get started.

  1. Find a decision you have been avoiding and take action on it. Indecisiveness leads to stress and destroys progress.
  2. Start an idea journal. Capture your ideas and give yourself a set amount of time, every day, to focus on them.
  3. Start reading a book today, which will educate you or inspire you.
  4. Eat right and exercise. Building a successful business takes clarity and energy.
  5. Set some exciting goals. Then take action on at least one of them.
  6. Publish something on a blog, vlog or social network today, which will be useful for your marketplace and showcase your expertise.
  7. Demonstrate leadership. Take the lead on something that matters to you.
  8. Connect people. We live in a connection economy.
  9. Invest in something today, which you know your business needs.
  10. Encourage people. By encouraging others, you become the source of encouragement. Think about that: You become the source of exactly what you need, in order to achieve all your own goals and targets.

To keep the momentum going, do something progressive tomorrow. Then repeat.

Tip: Read this for lots more marketing tips.

How to attract massively more referrals

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word of mouth, advice, referrals

I have a very quick marketing tip for you today, but I think you’ll find it really useful. It’s a simple process, to help you attract more word of mouth referrals.

  1. Spend a moment thinking about the last time you were so delighted by a product or service, that you wanted to tell everyone.
  2. Next, write down everything about that experience, which blew you away. Go into detail. Include the small things as well as the more obvious things.
  3. Then grab your thinking cap! Think of how you can adapt a version of that remarkable experience into the service your business provides.

It can take a while to figure out how to adapt a remarkable experience and incorporate it into your business, but it’s well worth it. Get it right and far more of your customers or clients will want to tell everyone about your business.

And those word of mouth referrals are marketing gold dust.

10 Habits of highly effective business owners

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business development
charles deluvio

Here they are in no particular order.

So, let’s get started.

  1. They value their time. Time is your most valuable asset, yet many people surrender control of it. Guard your time. If you do, you’ll always have enough time to do all the things that matter each day.
  2. They are approachable. If you want people to get in touch with you, they need to feel comfortable doing so. Some business owners are distant. Others are snarky. Warm and approachable is way more effective.
  3. They are brave enough to risk being wrong. They know that the only people who never fail, are the people who lack the courage to try, (which is failure in itself).
  4. They avoid costly detours. Don’t waste your time on shortcuts or growth-hacks. Shortcuts to success fail you on 2 fronts: Firstly, they’re seldom shortcuts. Secondly, they never lead to meaningful success. Instead of looking for shortcuts or hacks, look for the most direct, proven route.
  5. They demonstrate leadership. Leadership is something you do. It isn’t something you self-proclaim. It’s an ongoing habit. So lead. And be very suspicious of anyone who calls themselves a leader.
  6. They listen with intent. They listen to their clients. They listen to their marketplace. They’ve figured out that the more they know, the better their decisions will be. This allows them to create better products, better services and massively better relationships with their clients and future clients.
  7. They are useful. They’ve figured out that the more useful they are, the more the marketplace will value them. This is closely linked to number 9.
  8. They know that they can either be criticized or be ignored. There’s no middle ground. Every decision you make either helps your business stand out or camouflages it.
  9. They turn up. If you want to remain relevant to your clients, customers and marketplace, you need to turn up regularly with something useful. A newsletter, blog, vlog or podcast are proven ways to achieve this. Bonus: By showing you can be relied on to regularly share ideas, you start earning the trust of your marketplace before they even speak with you.
  10. They commit to lifelong learning. They read the books. They get expert advice. To see the effectiveness of this approach, we only need to look at those who take the opposite route. Those who don’t study and think they can do everything themselves, place a very low ceiling on their potential.

I hope you found these ideas useful, my friend. If you did, get to work on at least one of them today.

Marketing 101: Use deadlines to motivate customers to action

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marketing

Most small business marketing lacks urgency. And it’s losing those businesses a fortune.

If you want people to take action, you need to motivate them. A proven way for you to do this, is to set a deadline.

The thing about deadlines

Deadlines focus the mind. They take something that’s (only) interesting and make it both interesting AND urgent.

It looks like this:

  • Without a deadline, people will think your offer is interesting and decide to check it out later… then forget all about it.
  • With a deadline, people will think your offer is interesting and take action now… to hire you, buy from you, email you or call you.

If you’re not including a deadline as part of your marketing mix, you’re leaving money on the table.

Tip: Read this for lots more marketing tips.

Marketing 101: Total website optimization

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marketing seo, optimisation, optimization, seo

There are lots of ways to optimize a web page or blog post. The most obvious and popular is SEO. However, it’s only half the story. In today’s post, I’m going to share another kind of optimization, which is even more important.

As you know, with SEO you optimize your content and site. The idea is to make it rank as highly on search engines as possible, for the correct search terms. It means getting the balance right, with things like:

  • Word count.
  • Image tags.
  • Keyword repetition.
  • The use of bold (and italics) on certain words
  • The use of keyword weighted subheadings.
  • External link building.
  • Internal linking.

Basic SEO is both important and easy. Really easy.

There are software packages, which will show you exactly what to do. As of August 2017, Yoast’s SEO plugin for WordPress alone has over 3 millions active users. And many of Yoast’s users have thousands of pages optimized. There could be hundreds of millions, maybe billions, of SEO’d pages out there. Remember, that’s just one of many SEO packages, on just one framework.

Another way to optimize your website or blog

As well as optimizing for search engines, there’s another area of optimization. It’s something, which gets a lot less attention. That’s because it’s a lot trickier. Plus, you can’t automate it. I’m referring to optimizing your writing for people. For example:

  • Improving the clarity of your message.
  • Summoning the courage to write what you believe, rather than repeat your version of what everyone else is saying.
  • Maximizing the motivational impact of your message, so it becomes utterly compelling and converts readers into clients, customers, sales leads, subscribers, etc.

Be sure to get the basics of SEO right. Make it as easy as possible for search engines to understand what your site is about, so they can offer it as a resource to the right people.

More importantly, when people arrive on your website or blog, your words need to inspire them to take action. So, consistently strive to optimize your writing. Make it as compelling as possible. Every word must count. No fluff.

Because there’s no point attracting people to your site, if they leave as quickly as they arrived.

How to make the right choice for your business

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marketing advice, choices

Would you like to get far more, highly targeted client/customer enquiries?

If you just answered yes, then I have a suggestion for you. I want you to consider a more deliberate approach to your marketing. It’s about intentionally choosing what your business stands for, then acting in accordance with it.

Here are just a couple of examples.

  • Do you want your business to be known as a reassuringly expensive, high quality brand or a no-frills provider? Choose. Then set your prices and quality accordingly.
  • Do you want your business to be remarkable or do you want it to be similar to your competitors? Choose. Then either offer something amazing or do what’s expected.

The thing is, you need to choose

In the examples above, both options can be amazingly successful.

There are billion dollar luxury providers and billion dollar no-frills providers. These successful brands intentionally choose which end of the market they want to serve. Then, they market their brand accordingly.

There are remarkable and unremarkable businesses, who make billions.

  • The remarkable brands put their time into developing something spectacular, which people will talk about, recommend and share.
  • The unremarkable brands invest their time developing high-return advertisements, introducer networks and hustling.

Both approaches work extremely well, when done correctly.

What doesn’t work well, is either failing to choose what your business stands for, or choosing, but acting inconsistently with your choice.

Overcoming the main challenge here

Over the years, I’ve found there is a major reason why small business owners get this wrong. It’s that they almost always feel as though they MUST be a high price or remarkable provider. And that if they aren’t, they’re somehow setting their sights too low.

This thinking is totally, utterly incorrect! Your business can thrive whatever end of the market you choose to serve.

McDonald’s, globally, will generate more income and profits today, than the most expensive, high class restaurant in your city will manage, in the next year or 10 years.

So, get intentional. Choose what you want your business to stand for and market it accordingly. This 1 step alone, will give you a huge advantage over your competitors.

And that’s not all my friend.

It will also provide you with massively more clarity and allow you to make better decisions.

10 Inspiring reasons to get things done

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marketing motivation, gtd, get things done

Here are 10 inspiring reasons to get things done, for the next time you need a little extra motivation.

  1. Do it because it’s the right thing to do.
  2. Do it because you care.
  3. Do it because you said you would.
  4. Do it because it works… beautifully.
  5. Do it because it matters.
  6. Do it because they matter.
  7. Do it because others will learn from it.
  8. Do it because you’ll learn from it.
  9. Do it because we need more leaders.
  10. Do it because you may never get another chance.

And then, do it as well as you possibly can.

My real passion isn’t marketing

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marketing passion, marketing ethics, ethical

Dave from Perth, Australia, emailed me with a great question. He noticed that my blog is almost exactly 9 years old. In particular, Dave wondered how I have remained so passionate about marketing.

Here’s my answer. I hope you find it useful.

My real passion in business isn’t marketing!

It’s a lot more specific than that. My passion is marketing small and medium-sized businesses. These are the businesses, where my work makes the most difference, in human terms. It’s that last part, the human part, which transforms my work from a job, into a passion.

For instance, last week, Kelly completed her year with me, on my 1 year marketing program. It has been exhilarating. Kelly now attracts the right kind of clients, the right kind of projects and earns the fees her work deserves. Moreover, she has a repeatable process in place, to grow her business exactly the way she wants to, year after year.

The human stories behind the marketing

Kelly can now plan ahead with confidence. She looks to the future with excitement, rather than apprehension. And because she had been working long hours when her business was struggling, she now works fewer hours, which gives her more time to spend with her family.

THAT is what makes me passionate about helping small business owners.

A new story begins

Next week, I start working with a new client. I’m really excited about what we will achieve together. After a couple of days of research, I can already see that their potential is huge. So huge, it makes me tingle inside, just thinking about everything they will achieve. It’s exhilarating to think what their story will be, 12 months from now. I can’t wait.

As well as the work I do directly with my clients, I also get to help thousands of small business owners every day with the free information I offer online. From the emails I receive, I know that in some cases, I get to be a part of their stories too.

Yes, marketing has the potential to improve any business. However, it’s the human stories that matter most to me. That’s where my passion for marketing comes from.

Be more interested in your client’s success, than your fee!

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motivation, success 2024

There is a powerful success factor behind every great business, which you can implement starting today.

It can be summed up in just 4 words: It’s all about them!

It’s all about them

The most successful business owners have figured it out. They know that their success is always going to be an extension of what they do for their clients. So, they consistently look for ways to be of greater value.

In short: They are more interested in the success of their clients, than they are in their own success.

That may sound counter-intuitive, but it isn’t. Allow me to explain why.

Why the me, me, me approach doesn’t work

The least effective business owners are focused on what they can get from their clients or customers. This mindset manifests itself in many different ways. Here are just a few common examples.

  • They talk about closing the sale, rather than opening the relationship.
  • They talk about up-selling, rather than upping the value they provide to their clients.
  • They focus on what they can get, rather than what they can contribute.

That approach comes across in everything they do. As a result, their client retention is poor and they get few referrals from their clients. That’s because we don’t recommend greedy, self-obsessed people to our friends.

Some ideas for developing the ‘them’ approach to business

It starts with an understanding that it’s all about what you do, not what you say. That’s because every business owner claims to be client focused. So, you need to demonstrate that you are passionate about the success of your clients. You need to step up and walk the walk.

For example:

  • Keep in regular contact and if you find they have a problem, offer to help. Over the years, I have helped clients overcome major problems, which weren’t part of the service I provide. I have a huge, international network of top-level contacts, spanning pretty-much every area of business. I can almost always get my client any answer they need, and fast, from a leading expert. So that’s exactly what I do.
  • Help your clients to make extremely valuable connections. Think of people you know, who you can introduce them to… then do it!
  • Take a little time out every day, to help one of your clients in a way they were not expecting. This can be something as simple as sharing a useful article or video with them.
  • Find something valuable, which has a low delivery cost to you. Then add it to the service they receive from you… at no extra cost. My new clients are always amazed at the number of additional things I do for them. And I do this at every possible opportunity.
  • Keep your promises. Surprisingly few service providers can be totally relied upon. I started my business in 1995 and today, I’m still in contact with people, who I worked with in my first year. Deep, long-term relationships are a cornerstone of every excellent service provider. So, keep your promises and be there when they need you.

22 Years after starting out in business, I can confirm that Zig Ziglar was right: “You can have everything you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want”.

This isn’t just an effective way to build a successful business. It’s also a wonderfully rewarding way to build a business you’re proud of, my friend!

The New Proximity: Your endless supply of clients

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marketing advice, marketing local, marketing global

This is easily the most valuable post I’ve written this year. It’s one of the most valuable I have ever shared with you. I strongly recommend you read it in full.

How would you like an endless supply of clients?

Moreover, how would you like an endless supply of clients, whilst making your business totally immune to any downturns in the economy?

Well, now you can have all that and so much more. This is not a play on words. I’m being 100% serious.

It’s all about something I call the new proximity. And it can transform your business, if you want it to.

The way things were

Until recently, the proximity of your business to your prospective clients was measured by their geographical distance from you. As a direct result, your marketplace was limited to those with a need for your services, who were within a certain number of miles of your location.

In 2017, this is no longer the case. At least it isn’t, for the majority of people reading this.

The new proximity

Today, the proximity of your business isn’t measured by how close you are in miles from a prospective client.

Today, the proximity of your business is measured by, how closely you are aligned with their needs, mindset and values.

So, if a prospective client sees your work and wants to hire you, thanks to low cost (or free) global digital communications, they can.

In other words: Geography is no longer a barrier for many business owners. In 2017, human proximity, not miles, is what determines the size of your marketplace.

For example:

  • Imagine you need a copywriter who really “gets” what you want to say. If you find one, but they’re based 900 or 9000 miles away, it’s no problem. You can work together just fine.
  • Imagine you need a graphic artist for a project and find one who’s right on your wavelength. It makes zero difference that they’re based overseas.
  • Imagine you need a translator. If you find one whose work you trust, you’ll hire them regardless of where they are.
  • Imagine you need a web designer who totally understands your unique needs. If you find one whose work you love, who can provide exactly what you need, you’ll hire her regardless of how many miles there are between you.

What counts today, is how closely a service provider is aligned to exactly what a client needs. That’s the proximity that matters. For example, in the past week alone, I’ve worked with clients in Australia, Canada, the UK and US.

These people are aligned with my work and the way I work, so we share proximity, even though were miles apart geographically.

Yes, if you’re a dentist and you physically must be in the same room as your patient, geography matters. Of course, you could still provide products and services, using the new proximity model. You could create videos for people with an irrational fear of dentists, and sell them globally. If your dental business is successful, you could sell the business model to dentists everywhere, who need to grow their dental business.

What about you?

Almost every business owner reading this can either switch 100% to the new proximity model or develop products and services for it.

However, in order for it to work for you, you need to adjust your current business model.

You see, it isn’t just a case of doing what you do now, but accepting clients who you’d have previously ruled out, due to the distance between you. If you do that, little if anything, will improve for you.

Why?

Because your marketing will still be the same and your services will still be the same. So, you won’t suddenly attract all those new, prospective clients. If you want to embrace the new proximity, you need to adjust things accordingly. This will change slightly, from industry to industry.

You will also need to make it a core part of your marketing message. Here’s an example of how I integrate it into one of my marketing messages (read this). My prospective clients are fully aware that my services are specifically designed, to be offered worldwide. As a result, I work with far more clients overseas, than in my own country. I’m proud to say this includes every state in the United States.

The wonderful opportunity in front of you

With hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of new prospective clients, those who fully embrace the new proximity, have almost limitless growth potential. Also, they no longer need to worry about the impact of the economy on their business.

When the UK decided to leave the EU, many UK based marketing providers recorded a drop in business, as the domestic marketplace cut back on spending. My business thrived, because the drop in the value of the UK Pound, suddenly made my service massively more affordable to overseas clients.

You may have also noticed an additional huge benefit of this approach to business: Freedom to live anywhere you want!

My wife and I relocated from London, to a small village in the north of England. Our son was born and raised here, he attended the tiny village school and we love our community. But we could equally have relocated to the mountains, the beach… anywhere.

Yes, it takes intelligent planning if you want to benefit from the new proximity. You need to do the right things, correctly. It may also require you to shift your mindset, if you’re too used to the old proximity.

But it’s worth it my friend. So give it some thought.

2 Ways to grow your business without attracting any new customers

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marketing fast income, marketing quickly, fast results

The most talked about way to grow your business, is to attract new customers or clients, (herein called customers).

However, it’s not the only way. It’s certainly not the fastest way. In fact, if your main focus is just on attracting new customers, you’re needlessly leaving money on the table every day.

So, here are 2 additional ways to quickly and significantly boost your revenues and profits.

Increase the average transaction value

No, I’m not suggesting you simply increase your prices or fees; though if these are too low you certainly should.

Instead, I’m suggesting you find out more about the needs of your customers and provide new products or services, which address those needs.

It’s massively easier, less expensive and quicker to sell a 2nd or 3rd product to an existing customer, than it is to attract 3 new customers.

The essential thing here, is that the new offering is based on satisfying their needs. It’s all about them. So, look after them and their interests. When you do this, you will be offering your existing customers, people who already trust you, highly valuable new products and services.

That’s a sustainable, high profit way to grow a business.

Increase how frequently they buy from you

Think about it: If your existing customers were to buy from you twice as often as they do now, your revenues would be twice as high. Often, profits would be more than twice as high… depending on the kind of business you own.

The process of increasing the purchasing frequency of your customers is relatively easy. You just need the right marketing strategy.

For example, when a local coffee shop started providing a book club on Tuesday evenings, people who seldom visited now came at least once a week. Bookworms quickly told their friends. It became very popular, very fast. Of course, because these customers now know the team at the coffee shop and how great the coffee is, they use it as their regular coffee shop.

Another example is the phone industry. People used to keep their phones until the phone stopped working. Today, thanks to Apple, Samsung and others, millions of people buy a new phone every year. The phone makers add new features, which are irresistible to a very profitable subset of their marketplace.

Whether you increase the transaction value or transaction frequency, or both, remember that it’s all about them. Put the customer first. Always. Deliver value that’s so good, they can’t resist it.

Bonus

If you get this right, you’ll also unlock 2 additional ways to build a great business. You’ll attract more word of mouth referrals and you’ll retain more customers too.

What’s better than outsmarting your competitors? OutCaring them

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outcare, outcaring, marketing, small business

Image: Merakist.

Here’s a thought: Instead of simply outsmarting our competitors, what if we decided to outcare them as well?

Think about it.

  • We could care more about client satisfaction than our competitors do.
  • We could care more about ethics than our competitors do.
  • We could care more about making a difference than our competitors do.
  • We could care more about earning a great reputation than our competitors do.
  • We could care more about quality than our competitors do.
  • We could care more about service than our competitors do.
  • We could care more about professionalism than our competitors do.
  • We could care more about building relationships than our competitors do.
  • We could care more about leadership than our competitors do.

It’s hard to think of a more effective, profitable and enjoyable way to grow a great business.

Focusing on the numbers. Missing the bigger picture

We live in an age where businesses work hard to score as highly as possible on their technology based metrics. They try and get as many Facebook likes and Facebook fans as possible. They strive to get as many Twitter followers as they can. They constantly try to increase the size of their Linkedin network, too.

The challenge with chasing those numbers is that we can find ourselves spending too much time focused on digits. And find ourselves spending too little time focused on the quality of our relationships, with clients and customers. Too little time on the people that matter most to our business. This is especially the case with small businesses, where resources are tight. Time spent on improving your social networking metrics, is time you can’t spend delighting your clients, customers and prospective clients and customers.

Because of this we need to choose wisely. We need to invest our time where it will have the greatest, most meaningful impact. A dedication to passionately caring for the people is a wise dedication. It’s time well spent.

P.S: Here’s some advice on how to build a successful business. It contains lots of examples to get you started.