You’re out there everyday, telling the world how great your service is, that what you have to offer is exactly the solution they are looking for.

The best way to prove that your services are the answer to your prospect’s problems is to build your credibility as a professional and to show that you’re the expert in your field.

photo credit: gcoldironjr2003

Here’s how to prove that you are the solution:

• Prove that you deliver what you promise. Live by this mantra: Under-Promise, Over-Deliver.
• Look at your marketing material with a critical eye. Would you hire yourself?
• Add an element of tangibility to your services by sharing real success stories and testimonials.
• Write and publish articles about your area of expertise.
• Fill your pipeline by getting others to introduce you and refer your services.

Colleague and public speaking expert, Suzannah Baum president of Ideal Communications, wrote this article for WomenEntrepreneur.com.

You’ll find great tips to help you get started public speaking (including a few quotes from yours truly!). Enjoy.

Speak Better: 5 Tips for Polished Presentations by Suzannah Baum
Public speaking is a marketing tool that keeps on giving, so get past your fear and nail every speech every time.

Most successful entrepreneurs agree that good public speaking skills are among the core techniques they need to propel their business forward. A well-delivered presentation can result in getting some extra funding, securing a new distribution channel, locking into a new referral stream or gaining new customers.

Read the entire article here.

Seeing as I haven’t given birth yet, I figured I’d mosey on over to LinkedIn Answers and pose a new question: What are the 3 biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when giving their 30-second intro?

As usual, the responses received so far have been insightful and informative. Want to join the discussion? Click here to post your answer.

Mistakes aside, what are your 30-second intro pet peeves?

Just as an aside… things are “happening”, if you know what I mean. Last night, I had a false alarm, with a succession of painful contractions. My hubby was just about to call the midwife when everything stopped. Woke up this morning and still no baby!! But, it’s a good sign that things will happen soon!!

In the meantime, I just had to share with you the conversation going on at LinkedIn Answers. This week, I posed the question: What are the top 3 elements to successful networking?

So far, 16 people have shared their answers and I highly suggest you check out the caliber of replies received to date. While you’re there, why not share your top 3 networking success strategies!

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, I have not been disappointed with the replies.

My friend and colleague, David Cohen, started the conversation this way:

30 seconds? No way…that’s far too long…how about something short and sweet and catchy so you don’t drone on and on like everyone else at a networking event. Like, I help business owners grow their businesses by over 10 per cent…if this is a result you’d like in your business then let’s talk…

30 seconds is way too long…if you catch me doing that shoot me!

Most people who have answered agree with David — the shorter the better. I agree, although, to be honest, it’s something I struggle with.

So that got me wondering: What’s your take on your own 30-second intro? Are you consistently reworking it to be shorter, or do you find yourself trying to cram in as much information as you can in 30 seconds?

Filling the pipeline is the first stage in the Universal Marketing Cycle. If you’re not actively filling your pipeline, your business will soon run dry.

So what DOES filing the pipeline really mean?

In the context of marketing a service-based business, filling the pipeline means knowing (and getting known by) enough people whom you can contact (or will contact you) on a regular basis about your business. Your goal is to attract all sorts of people — believe it or not, you need more than just clients to grow your business.

Your pipeline is represented by the names and phone numbers of people and organizations in your contact database (phone book, Outlook Contacts, handheld device, business card holder, spreadsheet, etc.).

You fill your marketing pipeline by attracting many different types of contacts:

• Prospects: Potentials you attract through public speaking, writing, promotional events, publicity or advertising.
• Contacts: People you meet while networking and in the course of every day business life.
• Leads: People you hear about from your contacts or you find through research (like purchasing lists).
• Referrals: People who hear about you through someone else (clients, contacts, friends, suppliers, etc.).

Think of your pipeline as a funnel, where the people flowing through your pipeline fall directly into your follow-up pool — that’s the whole point of filling your pipeline. If you’re not following-up with these people, your business will stagnate and go nowhere fast.

Filling your pipeline is an essential part of growing your business and should be an ongoing process. You must engage regularly in marketing strategies to consistently fill your pipeline over an extended period of time. You should never be so busy that you no longer need to keep filling your pipeline. Continual networking (formal or informal) is a big part of making that happen.

Track your results to see what works best and what doesn’t. As usual, do more of what works and stop what doesn’t.

As discussed in my article 3 Elements You Need To Get Clients the very first step to successfully marketing your service-based business is to figure out where you’re stuck in the marketing cycle, or what area of marketing your services needs more work.

Today, I’ll help you figure out where you may be stuck and what steps you can take right now to getting unstuck.

The Marketing Cycle
As I’ve said before, the cycle is the same for everyone marketing professional services. The stages of the Universal Marketing Cycle, in order, are:

1. Filling the Pipeline
2. Following Up
3. Getting Presentations
4. Closing Sales

Why is it important to figure out where you’re stuck? By identifying what needs more work, you’ll know where to focus and which strategies you should start implementing (and leaving other strategies for when you’re further in the cycle).

How do you know where you’re stuck? The answer is mostly instinctual. Most entrepreneurs whom I coach are stuck at filling the pipeline or following up. But if you’re still not sure, go over these questions:

• Are you a new entrepreneur? If you sat down this morning to call all your contacts, would you be done by noon (or sooner)? If you answered yes to these questions, chances are, you’ll want to concentrate on Filling the Pipeline with prospects, leads, contacts and referrals.
• Do you have a stack of business cards from people you haven’t got around to calling since you first met? Are there prospects in your database whom you haven’t contacted in the past 3 months? If you answered yes to these questions, you may be ready to concentrate on Following Up.
• Are you having a difficult time getting an initial meeting, despite repeated follow up? Are your calls ignored or quickly brushed off? A yes to these questions may indicate that you’ll want to focus on strategies that will get you in the door to Getting Presentations.
• Does one objection after another keep you from walking your client through the sales process? Do you give lots of presentations, but are having a hard time closing? If so, chances are you’ll want to direct your marketing efforts to Closing Sales.

So where are you stuck? If you feel like you need to concentrate on more than one area, choose the first one in the order given. If you’re still not sure, start from the beginning.

Now that you know which area to concentrate your marketing efforts on, you’re now ready to move on to the next step — determine which marketing strategies you’ll use to help get you unstuck, regain momentum and get more clients.

What are the best strategies for your situation? Find out next month, when I discuss the second step to successfully marketing your service-based business – choosing marketing strategies that best fit your area of “stuckness” and match your personal preferences.

Until next time, I wish you much success.

Copyright. Cristina Favreau. All rights reserved.

ABOUT CRISTINA
Cristina Favreau specializes in teaching independent service professionals who struggle with marketing, so they get more visibility, build their credibility and increase their self-confidence. Get her complimentary “12 Mistakes To Avoid in Your 30-Second Intro” ecourse at http://www.cristinafavreau.com/index.htm

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You’re welcome to “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered, including the “ABOUT CRISTINA” info above. Please send a copy of your reprint to web (at) cristinafavreau (dot) com.

I was coaching a client the other day who, as we were going through potential referral-building marketing strategies, felt that she couldn’t implement “asking for referrals”, since she’s shy and it would mean “asking for a favor.” My (silent) gut response was “So what?” I guess my reaction was so strong, because I know I wouldn’t be where I am in my business today had I let that mindset get in my way.

It made me think, “Am I wrong? Is asking for a referral really such a bad thing?“

I’ve decided to keep with my original thought on the subject, that is: Asking for referrals — if done properly — is an important factor in helping professionals in the service industry grow their business.

So how does one go about asking for (or even better, receiving) referrals? I believe in marketing karma — what goes around comes around. I mostly use the “give to receive” method. When networking, I’ll listen to each participant’s 30-second pitch, and ask “Who do I know that needs this product/service?” Being that my credibility and reputation are on the line, I don’t take this approach lightly. If I personally wouldn’t use someone’s product/service, I WON’T refer them. This has lead to very successful and long-term referral partnerships.

Another tactic? If you don’t want to ask for direct referrals, request a meaningful testimonial.

I also like Stephen Canale’s article Do You Ask For Referrals? While directly related to the real estate industry, his suggestions can be used by most anyone in the service industry.

Does asking for referrals work for you? Does it match your personality? If so, how do you go about asking for referrals? If not, why not?

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Someone on an online networking group I belong to posted this question:

I’ve recently completed my website (of course, it’s a work in progress) and I just don’t know where to go from here. I feel like I’m preparing to no end; but have not had one client to date. [...] How can I really get the ball rolling? E-mail blasts, mailings, registering on the various search engines; I’m not sure which road to take.

Being that she posted on a very active list, she got some useful tips:

1. Get out there. “I cannot say enough about networking. That is what business is all about these days. You really have to put yourself out there and get ‘face-time’ with people so they get to know you and you can build relationships. Building relationships is the main thing. You want people to be able to know you well enough to trust you and well enough to be able to connect you with confidence, to other people.” “Networking is definitely key.“
2. Follow-up. “Implement some sort of follow-up system so people remember you and they have your contact information close by when they (a) need your services or (b) come across a referral.“
3. Start in your own backyard. “I know your business is virtual, but to get the ‘ball rolling’ I would start locally.“
4. Specialize. “When I first started this I was offering a ton of stuff, because I was skilled in all those areas. However, whenever someone would ask me what I do [...] I would try to explain all the stuff I could do, and 5 minutes later both myself and the person I’d be speaking with would be sleeping. [...] Eventually I had a long talk with myself and decided that was not the way to go about getting business. I then thought about the one thing I would most like to focus on and I realized that was what I want to do, and that alone. People tend to think if you do one thing, you do it well.“

Sounds to me like she’s stuck in the very first stage of the marketing cycle, filling the pipeline.

How would you have responded to this question?

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