If you were seeking a mate, it’s doubtful you’d marry the first person you met merely because you were asked. You’d need coaxing, making that special someone work hard before giving your heart away.
Similarly, most potential customers need convincing to buy from a merchant, vendor, or service provider. They must be persuaded that their needs will be fulfilled, they’ll get value for their money, and that they’ll be treated well.
In other words, you must romance them.
Imagine walking into Staples and seeing the manager sitting on the toilet by the entrance.
Unsettling, isn’t it? You’d probably turn around and never shop there again. Yet this may be the exact impression your business gives your customers.
It increasingly seems not a week goes by without my calling a business contact and being told “He’s in the bathroom. Can you call back?”
Business owners have an easy rule for how they get paid. First everyone else gets theirs: landlord, suppliers, taxes, etc. You get whatever’s left.
Since you’re now an independent consultant, I suggest this exercise for determining how much you should charge and, ultimately, gross in your practice.
If you’ve ever screwed up something marketing-related at your business, remember TIME Magazine’s goof.
I just renewed my paid subscription and they sent me a desk clock as a thank you. It tells time in 16 cities and contains a calendar, stopwatch, and calculator. Plus it was absolutely free.
Only it doesn’t say TIME Magazine on it anyplace — just “Made in China.”
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