The Savvy Entrepreneur

Words of wisdom when it comes to pricing your services.
That which costs little is less valued. — Miguel de Cervantes
Lesson: Underselling may hurt you more than you’ll ever know.

I often tell clients that when someone says “no” they simply mean “not now.” Here’s another way of looking at it:
An objection is not a rejection; it is simply a request for more information. — Bo Bennett

For the first time, I posted a question on LinkedIn, not really knowing what kind of response I’d get. I don’t know what’s taken me so long to discover the Q&A feature on LinkedIn (thanks to Lara for the suggestion), but I’m sure glad I did.
My question was a simple one: Do you have a 30-second intro? So far, [...]

Have you come up with your Only Statement yet? With a little help (OK, a LOT of help) from A.C. Riley, this is what we came up with for mine:
Cristina Favreau is the only coach daring business owners to make their marketing personal. See what makes you tick.
What do you think? What challenges are you [...]

I have to admit… I’ve been in a marketing slump lately. It feels like everything I read or hear about marketing a service-based business has been said and hashed over. I’m bored with it. So, I took a break from reading or listening to anything related to marketing.
Then this cold that has been hanging on [...]

Last week, I posted a call for help to a few VA online groups I’m on. I needed assistance with an important, detailed, last minute and complicated RFP for a client.
Most replies were professional. There were those who offered advice and even provided outlines and templates, while others submitted formal service quotes.
A few replies, however, [...]

Yesterday, a client explained her business model to me, justifying (red lights already) why she thought she should attend a trade show as a vendor, putting her family $5000+ in debt: “If I’m a vendor, then I’ll get clients and contacts. Then I can build relationships with them and get referrals.“
Hmmmm. I experienced my typical [...]

Welcome to a new series I affectionately call Irksome Ads. You know the ones I’m talking about — you hear them on the radio, you see them on TV, you drive past them in your car — ads that suck!
Deserving of an Irksome Ads award are promos:

Where you have no clue what they are actually [...]

The way you treat your clients is a sure way to be remembered — good or bad. What are you doing to make your clients feel special? What is your original “trademark”?
I just watched a powerful presentation all about the spirit of personalized customer service.
Click here to watch it.
It’s only 3 minutes long and you’ll [...]

A few weeks ago my step-dad told me he wants to start a business selling log homes in Canada as an authorized dealer for a US company. The coach, entrepreneur and Devil’s Advocate in me perked up and started asking tough questions about how he plans to execute his marketing plan — is there even [...]

Do you find out what your client needs before you start servicing him?
For example, if you were contracted for your letter writing services, would you get to work right away? Or would you conduct a preliminary interview with your client to find out:

What style and voice does he want you to use?
Who are the letters [...]

Do you offer a free consultation, complimentary evaluation or other type of no-charge offering (where you’re actually performing a service to a potential client)?
Like many coaches, I offer a one-time sample coaching session. When I first started coaching, I even coached a select few for 6 months, at no charge, in exchange for meaningful testimonials.
So [...]