The Christmas festivities are well behind us and now, at the start of the year, our focus is on keeping those New Years Resolutions. Whether you believe in them or not (I believe in the ones I can keep), now might be a good time to give your business a health check and look at ways you can enhance your business in the year ahead. Here are 5 business New Years resolutions that I think are worth a mention;

1. Stop ignoring LinkedIn

Not as popular as Facebook or Twitter but believe me when I say this is a sleeping social media giant that is fast growing in importance. 80% of LinkedIn members are from 10 countries with the USA, India and UK being in the top 10 (source LinkedIn Ad Platform, July 2011). For more LinkedIn stats you can view the Slideshare presentation here. LinkedIn allows you to network in a different way than Facebook and Twitter. You don’t have the noise or the 140 character limitations of Twitter, nor do you have the distractions of Ads, requests to play silly farm games or other trivia like you do on Facebook. With LinkedIn the focus is in connecting with other professionals for a specific business aim. Lead generation is the name of the game and you are actively encouraged to do this in a respectable manner through tools like LinkedIn Groups, Answers (where you can post questions or provide answers to professional questions). These are just some of the many features on LinkedIn that awaits the intrepid business owner.

2. Step away from your business

From time to time- take some time out from working IN your business to start working ON it. This way you’ll get to see your business as an outsider, see the bigger picture of why you got into business in the first place. It’s great you’re concerned about the finer details of your business – it shows you care about quality and it’s something we’ve all done from time to time. I’ve certainly been guilty of spending just a little too much time on a project here and there, trying to perfect it to death. But the danger is that you become so consumed in the detail that you lose sight of the bigger picture. You start to lose your direction and when things start to get tough you start to lose your motivation. By stepping away from your business every now and then, you’re forcing yourself to look at your business from another angle. From the eyes of a stranger. The benefits of doing this, apart from giving yourself a breather  from the daily grind, is that it can give yourself a fresh perspective on your business. You might even be inspired!

3. Learn to say no to clients

Seriously. While I understand that business is about providing for the needs of the client, I also know that to become truly great at what you do you also must understand your limitations and boundaries. If a potential client comes to you with a project that pushes these limitations or boundaries then you must learn how to say no. You can be tactful in how you choose to say no but you need to be able to say no to work you’re not happy to take on. Don’t be afraid of turning away business you’re not sure about accepting just for financial reasons because some things are more important than your bottom line. Such as your credibility. You can always make money, but if you accept a job that later negatively impacts your credibility, the negative effects can be more damaging and longer lasting.

4. Take ownership of your social media presence

Social media’s hot and it won’t be disappearing for a while yet. So you have two options- sink, or swim. Ok that’s a lie- there’s also the 3rd option, which is to conquer. I was reluctant to add this option because so few businesses (small and large) manage to achieve an effective social media presence. As a small business you can’t afford to sink with social media – that’s where your customers are and if you aren’t where your customers are then where are you? (Try saying that really fast. Or with after a few). The 2nd option to swim in social media is more common but will not distinguish you from the wades of competitors competing to be heard over the noise of the most popular social media platforms. Don’t believe me? Ok, check the number of updates per second you receive on your Twitter timeline and you’ll get the picture. What do you mean what’s a Twitter timeline? OK see me after class. If you want to belong to the elite 3^rd group that conquers social media you’ll need to make sure that you have a social media strategy in place and that its aligned with your business objectives. Which, in a nutshell should ensure that all your tweets, Facebook and LinkedIn updates (because you now know you should be on LinkedIn right?) have a purpose. Whether that purpose is to bring more website traffic, get more newsletter subscribers or increase sales leads.

5. Invest in mobile marketing

Sales for smartphones continue to rocket and its been a very long time since the phone was merely used for making calls- we now shop on them, play games, connect to those social networks and many more wonderful things. And get this, 1 billion of the worlds 4+ billion mobiles phones are now smartphones, and 3 billion are SMS enabled. In 2014, mobile internet usage will overtake desktop internet usage and already in 2011, more than 50% of all “local” searches are done from a mobile device (source Microsoft Tag Infograpic: Mobile Statistics, Stats & Facts 2011). This presents great opportunities for businesses and gives small businesses a level field to market themselves against the big boys. Why? There are many low cost ways you can market your business to the mobile community- through location marketing, i.e. offering incentives for customers to “check-in” on Facebook or FourSquare when they visit your premises, SMS offers or competitions, and even optimising your website for searches on smartphones and making sure you have a mobile phone compatible version of your website.

What New Years resolutions are you’re making for your business?

About the Author: Rita Auta is an experienced digital marketing consultant and Managing Director of PR Service UK- a London based marketing agency. She is passionate about helping companies, organisations and individuals achieve online marketing success on budget.
The Internet has democratized marketing – you no longer need the biggest budget to be heard. She believes that with a little creativity, authenticity and a good marketing plan your business can go far.

Follow Rita’s @prservicesuk account on Twitter for updates on the latest SEO & Social Media news affecting business. Or email rita@prserviceuk.com.

www.prserviceuk.com

Are you the type of solopreneur who thinks that the more elaborate your marketing and sales strategies are the more likely it is that you’ll get good results in your business?

Perhaps you have a sneaking belief that simplicity is for ‘beginners’ and a convoluted complex business model is a must, in order for you to be taken seriously?

What you might not realise is that the more complex your systems are the tougher it becomes to keep all the balls in the air at the same time. You run the risk of strangling your business growth through the sheer burden of overwhelm.

So WHY are so many business owners tempted to over-complicate things?

The biggest reasons are these :

a) Lack of Clarity

This often comes from not truly knowing what your strengths are, what your niche is, what you uniquely bring to the table for your ideal clients, and how to communicate that clearly to your audience.

b) Lack of Focus

This is generally to do with not really understanding which core areas you need to focus on in your business to create maximum return on your investments of time, energy and money. Plus it’s compounded by not knowing what actions you must be taking daily, weekly and monthly to move you closer to your business goals.

When I used to carry out high-level process auditing with Agri-Food Companies from around the world I was looking for certain principles to be in place. I wanted them to know what the end result required was, have the systems in place to be able to produce that consistently, and have ongoing assessment and review to create improvement.

As a solopreneur the criteria need to be very similar for your business. In a nutshell you need to have the focus and clarity to create a business which provides the smoothest pathway from allowing you to connect with your ideal clients, to serving them in an authentic way, which has them become a lifelong fan of you and the results you’ve helped them achieve.

You simply won’t be able to do this if you allow yourself to become distracted by the latest ‘hot’ niche, or trying to be all things to all people.

Focus areas for business growth

If you want to grow your business in 2012, there are three core areas you have to focus on. If you miss one of them out, you’ll be doing you and your clients a disservice. So what are these core focus areas?

• FOCUS ONE –
  Attracting more ideal prospects (leads) into your business
• FOCUS TWO –
  Converting more of those prospects into committed, enthusiastic, paying clients
• FOCUS THREE –
  Developing ways of being able to extend the lifetime value of each ideal client / customer you have.

Each and every one of your marketing and business building activities this year should fall into one of those core categories. It really is that simple.

Now of course – there’s a lot to do within each of those categories (and plenty of scope to start over-complicating again if you’re that way inclined!)

So here’s my ‘Focus and Clarity Simplified 12 Step Program’ :

FOCUS ONE – Attracting More Leads

1: Identify your client.

Make sure you’ve clearly identified who your ideal client is. Get to know their needs, stresses and desires (in relation to your service) in the way they themselves describe them. Look at where they’re already hanging out. Who is already connected with them and serving them? Your task is to get to know your ideal client so well that knowing what to offer them becomes much simpler. It’s about what they want and need, not just what you love to do.

2: Offer a solution to their core problem.

Take the time to make sure you position yourself as offering a solution to a core problem they have, such that they perceive you to be the go-to expert. Remember, nobody wakes up thinking they could do with having some ‘life coaching’ or a ‘limiting belief reframe’ or a ‘block of consulting’. People aren’t buying that! Your ideal clients are driven to solve the problem that’s keeping them awake at night – for example the promotion they keep missing out on, the marriage that’s hit rocky ground, the allergic sneezing fits that make summers a misery, the 60 pounds of extra weight which are draining self confidence. This is what you need to be talking about, not what you ‘do’.

3: Connect to your Clients.

Be sure that you’re using multiple avenues and entry points to connect with your ideal clients.  At the minimum this should be through social media, your blog, your email marketing and newsletter, as well as offline networking. Building the relationship with them means connecting with them where they already are, and in the environment that they are comfortable with. Even if you think your ideal clients are only at offline business networking events, the chances are they’ll be checking you out online as well.

4: Remember referrals.

Remember to tap into your most valued client-attracting resource – your existing client base – for referrals. Systemising this will consistently add to your pool of leads and clients.

FOCUS TWO – Converting More Leads into Paying Clients

5: Stay connected.

Make sure that you have a system in place to stay connected with your ideal prospects, so that you’re top-of-mind when they decide to actually take action and solve this problem they have (by investing in your solution). It’s unlikely they will buy from you straight off the bat, so you need email marketing, social media, offline networking and ongoing connection to build up that relationship of know, like and trust. The phrase ‘the fortune’s in the follow up’ is very true!

6: From Prospect to Client: have a route planned.

Check that you have a structured route that takes someone from being a prospect to a client. What happens when someone first connects with you? Do you have something you can offer as a free taster for them to ‘sample’ you and your services? It could be a tips booklet, an e-course, or an open clinic hour. Think what your ideal clients would find valuable.

7: The next step: Make it easy to say YES.

Once someone has had value from your free offering, you can then invite them to take the next step – to move from the appetiser to the next more substantial main course. Make sure it’s a logical next step from your free offering to make it easy for your prospect to say yes.

8: Know your Value.

Get totally comfortable with knowing the value your service offers, and being paid for that value, rather than just your time – and how to communicate that to your clients. You role is not to sell, but to make it simple for your ideal clients to buy from you if the fit is right.

9: Sales Skills.

Create more opportunities to enrol new clients. The onus is on you to do this! Your prospects are not going to beat a path to your door and beg to become your paying clients. Getting comfortable with having sales conversations is a core skill you must master.

FOCUS THREE – Extending the Lifetime Value of Each Client

10: Different Levels of Service

Make sure you have different levels of your products and programs on offer. Some people will want to start small and build up working with you, others might want to dive right in and go for the full ‘bells and whistles’ service that you offer.

11: Know how much your is client worth to your business.

Understand the lifetime value of a new client to your business so you can therefore know what you can afford to pay for new leads. Being knowledgeable with the conversion rates and figures in your business is a must.

12: Keep your clients delighted.

Be comfortable with the fact that your clients are taking a ‘problem solving’ journey with you. They can only take on so much change in one go, so create different levels which they can work up through as they become ready. This is not to say that you’re promoting dependency upon you, simply that you are helping your clients move forward one step at a time. They’ll thank you for not overwhelming them! And of course, always look for ways to over-deliver to keep your clients delighted.

So now it’s YOUR turn…

I invite you to make the commitment to simplifying this year! Keep focus and clarity at the heart of your business for 2012, and diligently apply these twelve steps. In so doing, you’ll create momentum, attract more clients, make more profits, and have a lot more fun as your business grows.

I’d love to see your comments about which one of these steps you think will make the biggest difference in your business this year!

About the Author: Tanya Smith is known as the Marketing and Mindset Mentor. She helps Service Business Professionals (Coaches, Consultants, Therapists, Trainers and Solopreneur Business Women) to consistently attract more ideal clients and make bigger profits by using back to basics simple marketing and sales strategies which work. Her approach is to show you ways to use leverage in your business, to make a bigger difference, positively impact more clients and make more sales without being left overwhelmed and time challenged. Tanya is known for simplifying the complicated, and guiding her many clients in a step-by-step approach. You can check out her FREE resources at http://www.InnerGameProfits.com  starting with the ‘Get More Clients Marketing Plan’ which gives you a full audit of how successful you are at getting clients now, then the 6 simple steps to rapidly boost your client attracting success, with step by step strategies and fill in the blank templates to apply in your business today.

I want you to know something. Starting your own business is wonderful. You wake up when you want, work from where you want and never have to sit through a boring-ass ‘weekly planning meeting’ EVER AGAIN. Rocking.

However. This freedom does not come on a platter. You don’t wake up one and go ‘oh I seem to have stumbled on the perfect life. Ho ho. Tea and toast, Jeeves’.

(Because that’s just what my mornings look like. Ahem)

So let’s take a down-and-dirty look at what really goes on in a fledgling business. This isn’t a negative article, it’s just the less sexy bits that get left out of the ‘how I made it stories’. I think you deserve to know it all so today I’m sharing these 10 truths with you.

The below is your psychic ball to know what’s up ahead so you can be ready to ride through this messy, beautiful journey and make your free range life happen.

Let’s get to it:

1. The business you start with won’t be the one you end up with.

The first version of your idea will be wrong. People won’t want it, or you won’t want to do it. More than likely:

Your first website won’t be your last

Neither will your first brand name

And that’s a good thing.

Your business is a living creature, not a statue. Until you’re in the field it’s hard to know what it’s really like to live with, and when you get there you’ll soon learn what you need to change. Sometimes the answer is ‘almost everything’.

So don’t spend too much on that first logo.

2. You will want to quit

More than once you will think you have made a huge mistake even starting this.

You will think you were crazy for even contemplating that you could run a business.

You’ll think you’re an imposter.

That’s when you know you’re on to something good.

3. Your family and friends won’t get it

Start your business and more than likely:

Aunt Maude will think you made a mistake.

Your buddy Sam won’t hold back letting you know how many businesses fail.

Others in your life will be ‘supportive’ but never actually understand what you do.

Many will miss the days they could put you into a box and say “she’s a lawyer”.

At least some of your friendship groups will change.

Honey let’s get real here. What is more important: your happiness every day, or someone else’s mild discomfort at introducing you at weddings? Sticking with the friends who count or the ones who only empathise because you both hate what you do? Following the beige army’s footsteps or living your real life? (you only get the one, you know)

Isn’t escaping from a box that doesn’t fit precisely the reason you are here?

4. There’s no such thing as an overnight success

You will work your butt off to get your first 10 clients. They will be the hardest ones to get.

You might look at a successful person in your field and say “I want what they have… but without doing the graft that let them achieve that”. They will look back at you and say “good luck, and if you find that easy button let us know”.

What counts is DOING (smartly). You can learn all the strategies in the world but unless you DO them they are worth nothing.

Are there overnight successes out there?

I admit it, the successes, they were ‘made overnight’: over many, many nights of late toil. With coffee and the company of streetlights.

They wanted to quit, they thought they made a mistake but they kept going and going until one day someone said “hey you’re an overnight success, I wish I could be as lucky as you!” (you can be, by the way. Just do the above.)

5. Your number of Twitter followers doesn’t count

There are a lot of things you can buy to look like  a business: you can rent an office, get good business cards, have a nice website made up by a hot designer, and yes you can even ‘buy’ Twitter followers and Facebook fans.

There might be good reasons for you to do all of these things. I’m not judging. However. None of these are enough on their own. You can easily sit in your office with nice cards, 10,000 followers and a cutting edge website… with no clients and no money.

A business ‘shell’ is not a business.

It is one thing to build something that looks like a business. It is another to build that moment of magic where people love what you do, get it, and hand you money to do it some more.

Know the difference.

6. No one owes you a paycheque

I once heard someone say “no one is buying my ebook. I wrote it and created a website but no one is buying. I put so much time and effort into it already, I shouldn’t have to put any more into promoting it!”

Yes, you should. You are not an employee.

No one owes you a paycheque. No one owes you their money. No one owes you their attention.

It’s up to you to make your offer worth their attention, work their money and work a paycheque.

Showing up to work is not enough.

The value you bring is not just the content or the service. A huge whack of your value is presenting what you offer so GET IT. Don’t set yourself up to be ignored as one of the shouting hordes, but create an environment so people WANT what you have on the table. Desperately. Enough to pay for it, now.

Learning how to sell is 50% of the journey (so don’t waste all your start up time on creating a product you have no idea how to communicate and waiting for a paycheque). Instead, live in your clients’ heads. Learn how to show them the value of what you do so that they want it, really want it, and pay to prove it too.

7. It’s not all cocktail parties and CEO moments. 

In the early days you will do it all. Forget the glamour of ‘having your own business’. For the first few months that just means “I sweep the floors, as well as meet the clients”.

Later you can (and should) outsource the parts you don’t love. But if you outsource something before you understand it, you’ll find it slide to a halt all too soon.

The only way to understand something? Do it yourself, first time round. Keep notes on how you did it and the mistakes you made and what you learnt. Then pass it on. Of course, by then you’ll be taking control and acting like a free range human.

You will also be handy with a broom.

8. Your dream life does not come with your dream business

You’re not doing this just to ‘be an entrepreneur’ (you’d be reading another blog if you were).

You’re doing this for a reason: to build a life that you love. To spend time with the people and places that mean something to you. You have a vision of what you want to contribute to the world, of doing something that makes you come alive every day, and your business is your vehicle to get it.

Never lose sight of that. That groundwork, knowing what you’re in this for, is crucial.

If you just ‘build a business’ without considering ‘you’, then you’ll end up in a cage of your own making. This time there will be no boss to blame.

Getting free is a conscious decision, not a gift that comes with self employment or a job title.

More important than just “I have a business” is sticking true to what you want and crafting each element of your business to suit you and your life.

That takes guts.

You’re not building a business, you’re creating a life. And that, my dear, starts with you.

9. You wouldn’t give this up for the world

Once you get into the free range life, you’ll know two things

1) the above is true

and

2) you wouldn’t give this up for the world.

The payoff of being your own boss is bigger than a paycheque.

I read some research recently showing that self employed humans are happier than employed humans, and it clicked instantly.

When you are self employed, you get validated every time someone likes you enough to hand over money and buy from you (when did you ever feel that praised by your boss?).You get to do every part of the business you want to (see that chicken logo at the top? I drew him, cause I wanted to). And you get to be YOU every day.

It’s like becoming a grown up for the first time.

You’ll get addicted to this life. And that’s when you know you’ve made it.

10. You get to make your own rules.

Hey you’re a free range human! Want to include 10 points when the article asks for 9? Do it. Like this

Seriously. I want you to know this honey: the hardest part is understanding, truly understanding, that you make up your own rules. And then grasping that opportunity with both hands.

With no boss to hold you back, and no boss to blame, it’s down to you to make magic happen on your own terms.

To me that is the most wonderful thing in the world.

About the Author: Marianne Cantwell runs Free Range Humans. She helps women create and tweak their business to fit their personality and lifestyle, while growing their profits. A self confessed geek on both marketing and happiness, Marianne is combining these two usually very different topics into a book about free range businesses, (to be published in 2012). For more tips on breaking the rules and making your business work for you (not the other way around), subscribe to her blog and Friday ‘love letter’ at http://www.free-range-humans.com (and follow her on Twitter @freerangehumans)

I write this from New Zealand where I have had to quickly come due to the sudden death of my father. Being so far away from my London home, friends, business and the routine of life to face the death and burial of my father has left me questioning many elements of my life that I had taken for granted.

I feel deep grief and sometimes the numbness that this loss can cause one to experience. My children have lost their last remaining grandparent and I feel bereft. Yet here we are, half a world away from our home, having Christmas in summer and travelling around the country visiting family. I feel disassociated from my normal life in London and also my business.

It has been hard during this time to find a silver lining to this experience.

What it has given me though is the chance to deeply reflect on what I want my life to be about, where I want to be and what I want to be doing. It has given me a sudden wake-up call to reappraise all aspects of my life.

It is as if a blank piece of paper has appeared in front of me for me to create the life I want from now on. Could this be the gift I have from this shock?

I haven’t been one to amble through life aimlessly but I have noticed in recent years as a business owner, mother and sole breadwinner, that my perceived options have become more limited. It is now, from all of this, I realise that it’s time to shake my perceptions up and broaden my horizons!

When I coach and mentor my clients, if they perceive their options to be limited, they start to close down their thinking and their opportunities. As their coach, it is my role to open their minds to other possibilities and alternatives.

I have had a shock to get me to reappraise my options and this is not something I would recommend! So as we start the new year, this is the perfect time for you to take stock of where you are in your life and business and take a blank piece of paper to create your own future, free of any thinking that may be constraining you. This is a wonderful opportunity to imagine ‘what if’ and ‘if only’ and ‘maybe’.

Really stretch your thinking and your imagination as the further you are stretched and removed from your current reality, the more options you will perceive.

The one thing I have truly learnt in the last two weeks is that we do only have one life, so we may as well enjoy it and make it a life where there is pleasure in every day.

This is your life, your future, so you take an afternoon to ponder, imagine and design! Follow the steps below as your guide.

Step One: Throw Away Your Inner Critic

All of us have a little voice in our heads, our ‘inner critic’. That is the voice that may be telling you ‘you don’t deserve this”, or ‘you don’t have the right experience to be successful” or that ‘the economy is so bad, how will I survive”.

This inner critic does a great job of protecting you but it also holds you back and stops you from living up to your true potential.

So, for this exercise, put that voice on hold! You can control your thoughts. Practice silencing your inner critic as you let your imagination unfold!

Step Two: What Do I Love About My Life?

Take a piece of paper and write down all the things you love about your life and business right now.

Consider the following as you start to write your list:

• what has gone really well for you in the last five years
• what experiences have given you fabulous memories
• what’s made you laugh
• when were you filled with pride
• the people you have connected with
• special moments that you cherish
• how you love to fill your day

Are there any photos, mementos or objects you would like to add to your list to make this life-love audit three dimensional?

Step Three: When I was Little I Used To Dream Of……..

Cast your mind back to when you were younger and you truly believed the world was your oyster. What did you used to dream of doing?

I dreamt of travelling the world, living in an orange grove in Spain and working in New York. Considering I grew up on a farm in country New Zealand, these were pretty big dreams!

What were your dreams? When you were 21 what did you imagine your future to be?

Jot down your memories and thoughts on a fresh piece of paper.

Step Four: If I Could Be, Do or Have Anything……

Time to get your imagination into action!!!

Imagine you had no limits, no financial constraints and time is on your side……what would you love to be, to do and to have?

Where would you be living, what would you be doing, what would a week in your ideal life be like? Who would you be friends with? What type of business would you be doing – how would you be making an income? What would you do in your spare time? What passions would you be following?

You may want to think about people who inspire you, what would you love to emulate about their lives?

What legacy would you like to leave behind? What do you want people to say about you when you have passed away?

Often when we do our business visioning we forget to consider our whole life yet as business owners we are our business and our life needs to be integral to all of our considerations.

Dream away and again, jot down your thoughts and ideas…..remember no judging!

Step Five: Gathering It All Together

Now you have had a chance to recollect your dreams, imagine your future and think about what you love about your life now, let’s pull it all together onto your new blank sheet of paper for your life!

Again, remember to silence your inner critic!

Review all of your jottings and notes from the previous steps.

• What key themes are you noticing?
• What stirs you?
• What makes your heart sing?

Take your blank sheet of paper and write (you may prefer to draw) the description of your future.

You may wish to use these questions as a framework to pull together your thinking from the previous steps.

• Where am I living?
• What do I do in my spare time?
• How do I earn an income?
• What type of people do I interact with?
• Who are my customers?
• What does a typical week hold for me?
• Am I travelling?
• The passions I am following are….
• What flexibility do I have?
• What new experiences do I have?
• What type of close relationships do I have?
• When I fall asleep at night what am I most happy about?

Now you have created your future, what next? Ponder your creation for a month, add to it, refine it, make it real. Next month my article will be about bringing it to life.

About the Author: Wendy Kerr is an expert in Corporate Crossovers^® –  women who have left corporate careers to start their own businesses. Her company, Corporate Crossovers^®, offers coaching, mentoring and resources to enable these women to thrive in their businesses and their lives. For more information, and your free guide on “Discover the Four Blocks that Stop You From Earning What You Used To and How to Overcome Them ”, visit http://www.CorporateCrossovers.com

Wendy has been coaching for over nine years and has worked with hundreds of clients to help them achieve their goals.  Before she became a Corporate Crossover herself, she spent 20 years in corporate, including as General Manager of high profile internet start-ups, FT.com and Quicken.com.au and marketing global brands including Apple, Smirnoff, Tia Maria and Colgate.

Through her company, Corporate Crossovers^®_,Wendy works with women business owners to help them get more focus in their business, feel more in control of their work and to make more income. For more information, and your free e-book to “Discover the Four Blocks that Stop You From Earning What You Used To and How to Overcome Them ”, visit http://www.CorporateCrossovers.com

One of the most important decisions an entrepreneur makes is how to price their products or services.
Get your pricing strategy wrong and you will create a problem which could damage your business.
Get it right and the potential for creating a thriving business becomes much greater.

But what, you may be asking yourself, has this to do with attracting clients? In fact it goes right to the very heart of you and your business; it’s all to do with how your value yourself. Having an attitude of abundance and seeing money as a flow of energy changes the relationship you have with it and subsequently how you price your services and products. In this the fourth in a series of articles about attracting the right type of clients we review pricing, from the practical to the psychology of how you define what you’re worth.

What’s your price?

There is no universal standard when it comes to pricing. In my experience you will never find two businesses who take the same approach to pricing. Pricing services is more difficult than pricing products as you can often identify the cost of making a physical product. So how do you take the guesswork out of pricing?

• Establish what costs you need to cover in order to run a stable business; material, labour and overhead costs. Make sure you include your salary – you can’t live on thin air.
• Add profit into your calculation and treat it like a fixed cost the way you would a loan, none of us want to be in the ‘just getting by’ business.
• Carry out market research to understand what the market will bear for your products/services, don’t just leave it to chance.
• You need to be aware of what your competitors are charging but avoid competing on price. You do not want to end up in a price war but at the same time part of pitching for business is about proving why your product/services provides greater value than your competitor and therefore why you can charge a higher premium.  Also, do you want to define yourself by your competitors’ pricing? At the very least, how do you know they are any good at it?
•  Look at the wider issues such as the economy and how that might affect the buying patterns of your clients and potential clients.
• Review your prices on a regular basis especially when you introduce a new product line or service offering.

What you charge comes from how you’re perceived

Perception often plays a key role in business owners setting prices for their products and/or services. It defines how your client views the value of what you are offering.  Some entrepreneurs will purely use this approach when considering what prices to set. However, relying on this perceived value can come with its own risks. A common error is when the perceived value of your offering is far greater than your client’s acceptance of that perception. Business owners that understand the role psychology plays in pricing strategies come out on top.

• The perception of savings: A product that sells for £9.99 does better than a product that sells for £10.00. Customers look more favourably on prices that end with 99p although we are only talking about 1p difference. Also customers tend to focus on the first figure so £9 is cheaper than £10.
• The perception of value: This is where business owners bundle their offering together e.g., buy one, get one free, buy ‘service A’ and get not one but three further bonus items. The client feels that they are getting more for a lesser price.
• The perception of discount: Discounts always attract clients, 75% off never fails to attract buyers. People love that they are saving money and getting good value.  What price would you put your service offering at if you knew you were going to offer a 75% discount to attract new clients?
• The perception of unbundling: This is where you create the option for your clients to make routine payments. By making the cost to customers small it becomes trivial and a no-brainer, even if the end result means they end up paying slightly more.

Value yourself and reflect it in your prices and the clients you attract.

The final section of this article looks at your relationship with money and how that relationship affects how you price your services and subsequently how you attract the type of clients you currently have on your list.

Many years ago I worked for an organisation that pioneered executive coaching in the UK. I worked for the company for nine years and loved every minute of it. I still keep in contact with many of the coaches. When I started working for myself, I met up with one of the coaches and found out that his hourly charge out rate for coaching was £800 an hour. I was amazed. Do you know how quickly one hour goes? It seems a lot quicker than the actual 60 minutes. Admittedly he coaches people in the City at CEO and MD level and has 16 years coaching experience plus a wealth of industry qualification, training and business experience behind him. But I also know really good coaches who charge £60 per hour. So how can some coaches charge £800 per hour and others £60 per hour? There are definitely factors that come into play such as experience and expertise but why is the gap so big? I recently read an article that stated that most female self-employed entrepreneurs undercharge for their services and products; the main reason for this is they do not fully value themselves. This makes it difficult to price correctly when a core belief of self-worth comes into play. A very simple exercise you can carry out to ascertain how you view your pricing is to think about the cost of your product/services then double it, then treble it. How does that feel? Can you imagine advising a prospective client tomorrow the price of your services/products which are three times greater than what they are today? This is a very basic exercise and doesn’t take into account many of the practical factors of pricing but it’s a good measure to test how you feel about it. When I first did this exercise it made me very nervous. I then attended a workshop carried out by Real Coaching Solutions looking at the Flow of Money. Within a week of attending that workshop I landed my largest client at the right fee!

How we view money plays an important role in attracting the right type of clients.  How many of us base our fees upon time rather than the value we provide others? Being conscious of how you think, feel and speak about money will determine your level of success.  We need to get more comfortable with talking about money and not let it become a taboo subject. Money is like a flow of energy, flowing in and out of our life.  If we become too scared to spend it we block the flow of energy. If we don’t respect it and are not committed to making it grow it will not provide us with its continual flow.

If you want to get to grips with money and banish those negative views try the following:

• On a piece of paper create two columns; write down everything that you associate negatively with money in one column. In the other, write done the opposite including the opportunity it provides. If it helps work with a business colleague or friend so that you can really challenge your thinking on this.
• Cut the piece of paper into two columns. Destroy the column with all the negative words on it. Read the positive list at least once a week if not more. See how your view on money starts to shift.
• Consider if money was a person what characteristics would you like them to have? Would you like them to be respectful, committed, dependable, fun? Would you like them to pay on time, have funds to buy your services? Imagining money as someone you might do business with helps you define how your relationship with it should be constructed.
• Set an intention every day and write it down. The more positive you become about money the more positive an experience you will have with it.
• If you have negative thoughts, for example, you may feel that you do not deserve to have a thriving business, then change that thought and replace it with a positive one, for example, I deserve to have a thriving business where my clients pay my fees easily and effortlessly.
• Keep a gratitude journal – remembering all the good things that happen keep you in that positive space.

When we understand that money is energy then we can start to focus on directing that energy flow into our lives. Money is not the only thing that makes the world go round but if you want to have an abundance of it coming into your life then it needs to be fairly high on the list. If it is part of your ambition to turn your “getting by” business into a thriving one then think about what might be standing in your way. Is it money? If you value yourself and your business quite cheaply then why should your clients do any different? Thinking, acting and speaking positively about money will keep the flow entering your life.

See Step 1 here

See Step 2 here

See Step 3 here

Want to stand out from the crowd and impress customers and contacts in 2012?  A simple investment of your time to listen could just do the trick.

One thing I’ve observed with the rise in media channels, web and social media is that more people are broadcasting than listening.  We now reside in a loud din of thoughts, comments, sales pitches, ideas, tweets, social network updates and the like. Such is the volume of noise that people of all ages are developing selective hearing.  We have become adept at screening things out rather than listening.

In fact I think we’ve begun to accept that we rarely listened to.  We think nothing of people not replying to emails straight away.  We are pleasantly surprised when a tweet is retweeted, a blog posting commented on and social media updates acknowledged. We don’t expect people to call us back when we leave a voice message and we don’t expect them to remember what we told them the last time we met.  We assume everyone is busy and so we naturally let them off listening to us.  Interestingly though, we still carry on broadcasting.

Stand out from the crowd

This means that when someone does listen to you, responds to an email, voicemail, letter, tweet etc – they really stand out.  You’re grateful, you’re impressed and they certainly rise in your estimation.

Secretly, people like being listened to.  It makes us feel valued, it makes us feel heard and in a noisy world such as ours that’s becoming a rarity.  We remember and value those who listen to us and seem interested in what we have to say.

The competitive advantages listening bring in business

Put in a business context, if you take time out to listen to your customers or contacts, you are in a much better position to understand what’s going on with their life and current situation.  With this knowledge you can:

• Offer help and solutions that resonate 100% with them rather than miss the mark.
• Spot opportunities to add more value or sell other products/services, which you wouldn’t have otherwise discovered
• Improve your existing product/service provision to better reflect your market’s changing needs and wants
• Find ways to enable others in your network help this contact – benefitting and adding value to them in the process
• Impress them so they recommend you to others

Take Jane, a law firm associate, who was having coffee with a friend.  During the conversation Jane’s friend mentioned she was bogged down in a research project assessing the viability of the Boston market, as her company was thinking of opening a branch there.  Jane knew that her firm had an office in the City and suggested setting up a conference call between her friend, her friend’s boss and Jane’s Boston office managing partner.  The call went well with Jane’s colleague giving valuable insight and tips to her friend’s boss.  In the end her friend’s company engaged Jane’s Boston office for legal advice when establishing their US branch. Jane was awarded a bonus for initiating this business.

What is listening?

Listening is not looking for what you want to hear so you can pounce and say your bit or deliver your sales pitch.

In fact good listening is hard to master.  Often we struggle to concentrate and let our minds wander off when someone is talking to us at length.

John Timperley of the Results Consultancy says, “Many pretend they are listening whilst going through the motions. They think they can get by without really ‘tuning in’. They develop the habitual nod of acknowledgement, the look of concern and the ‘front’ of understanding. Feigning interest is obvious and fatal to establishing a relationship with a customer or contact.”

John goes on to explain, “Listening is often confused with hearing. Hearing uses just one of our 5 senses to convey information received by the ears to the brain. Listening involves the process of analysing, interpreting, understanding and giving meaning to what has been heard”.

Good listening starts with the mindset I am genuinely interested in you and what you have to say.  I can only add value to you or contribute well to this conversation if I listen to you.  And you will only open up to me if you feel I am listening to you.

Of course it doesn’t help that we think up to four times more quickly than people speak. The consequence is that when we try and listen we can get ahead of the speaker. We try to think up solutions and ideas which we are keen to put to them to contribute to the conversation.  This may cause us to interrupt them in our pressing desire to reveal how clever we are or to solve their issues. Interruptions are likely to put off a client or contact participating in the conversation.

How do you show you’re listening?

In meetings and phone conversations it pays to consider the physical messages you are sending as your contact talks to you.  Whilst talking, your customer or contact is assessing these messages to gauge if you’re interested in what they have to say.  They will stop talking if they sense you’re not listening or look bored.

John Timperley has a number of ‘active listening’ tips which encourage a contact to keep talking.  These are:

• Smile and make eye contact if you’re in a meeting – show that your attention is focused on them.
• Nod, to encourage them to keep talking.
• Agree with their comments, so that they know that your views are in alignment with theirs.
• Play back their words or particular phrases they have used, to show that you are listening.
• Adopt a genuinely engaged posture and disposition

Listening electronically

Of course we don’t always interact with people face to face. With our heavy reliance on digital media, listening electronically can really help you stand out from the crowd.

So consider monitoring and commenting positively on your valued contact and client’s blogs, social media posts and updates.  Show you’re listening and interested in what they’ve said and, if possible, contribute encouraging comments or helpful insight to the debate or discussion.

After any dialogue with them, diarise dates to go back to them on a particular issue they mentioned.  For example, if you’re the client’s accountant and they’ve said their AGM is in three months time, giving them a call a month before to check they have all the financials ready will impress them.  It may even secure you some additional work opportunities.

Another way to show you’re listening is getting a client or contact to share a positive story/experience to others in your network – perhaps in a case study format.  The intention here is to show them off in a good light and let others learn from their wisdom/experience. This also enables you to put them in contact with others in your network who may help.  This will add value not just to this contact but the others you refer them to.

In Summary

It’s likely that our world will get even noisier in 2012.  So consider using the power of listening to show to customers and contacts that you’re different.  It only costs your time and can really help you build a competitive advantage over your rivals.  Finally, if you are going to adopt selective hearing, make sure it’s not your customers’ and contacts’ broadcasts you screen out.

Wishing you all a very prosperous 2012.

About the author:  Michelle Daniels,  Managing Director – Extended Thinking.
An experienced and effective business development and marketing strategist, Michelle has built a successful career increasing top line growth for service businesses and organisations. She helps her clients turn their marketing, business development and thought leadership plans into reality with her ‘hands on’ support and practical advice.    A prolific writer, Michelle also combines creative flair with business nous to produce highly effective results.  She has written (and ghost-written) for many professional and business publications and is a chartered marketer and member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Extended Thinking is a hands-on marketing and business development consultancy.  Bringing together great minds and great ‘doers’, we help our clients devise and implement plans that achieve real business growth.  Our clients come from a wide variety of backgrounds and sectors, but invariably are those who are too busy or lack the resources to action their marketing and business development plans.  We roll our sleeves up and muck in to free them up to do what they really want to do and are good at doing.
www.extendedthinking.com

Recently I have been thinking how relevant or rather how-not-so-relevant a business plan is for a start-up in this present economic climate. In my mind a business plan ‘is a document that lays out the plan of how a business (product or service) will perform over a given period – usually 1-5 years within a given market’.

Map your route

I remember years ago – 6 years to be exact, when I was setting up my social enterprise; and everyone said I needed a business plan to demonstrate I knew and understood my business – I needed a roadmap. I found this a daunting task I have to say, and reluctantly ‘learnt’ how to write one with the help of some experts.

If you are a start-up and feel any anxiety about writing a business plan, you are not alone! Chances are you have been to see a business advisor and have been given a format with the ‘list’ of things you have to include; you sigh and say ‘if only there are more hours in the day’! Or perhaps you’ve found a template online which has helped you outline your business roadmap. If you think you really don’t need a business plan, well, technically you need some sort of documentation (which you could call a business plan) that outlines some key details of how you are going to achieve your objective – to grow your business.

Should the future be written in stone?

A traditional business plan requires you to outline where you see yourself in 3-5 years and how you plan to get there. In my opinion, they are rigid and inflexible, and prevent start-ups (and any business really) from reacting quickly and creatively to unexpected changes in the market place – a hindrance rather than an advantage; especially in these trying economic times. Nobody can predict tomorrow let alone one, three or five years; so I think it is unrealistic to write any plan for that long.

If you listened to the analysis of the ‘autumn speech or statement’ by the chancellor recently, you will have gathered that 18 months ago, the government laid out their plans of economic recovery for at least the next 4 years; assuring us that we will feel the ‘pinch’ for 4 more years only – a tough pill to take, but really everyone had to get on with it.

Come November 2011, the government has had to revise that to a 5-6 year recovery based on ‘other forces’ – mostly the events in the Euro. The UK has no control over the Euro, although we are not in the Euro, we are linked with Europe in many ways as you know. Some analysts say, we could ‘dip’ back into another recession – a thought I don’t want to contemplate! But it goes to show how planning that far ahead has its consequences.

When you think about it, how far ahead can and should you plan in this economic climate? The lesson for me is to plan, but for short terms – very short terms. It is great to have a vision – the end destination, but your plans and actions should be short towards the end goal.

Forward planning

For any start-ups seeking external investment, you probably have to write a business plan; and my suggestion to you is to plan for 18 months. Be bold and demonstrate you understand the economic situation and base your projections on 18 months; with a clear strategy on monitoring and adjusting things as you go along. Your investor will appreciate that, and have more confidence in you as being pragmatic rather than being overly optimistic (as most start-ups are).

While writing an 18 month plan may suit your investors, the day to-to-day, practical running of your business should be for a shorter period 6-12 months; and if it can be helped, shorter. That way, you are not only pragmatic; but you can react and change direction quickly and effectively if you need to. When we commit to a longer period on paper, it seems ‘set in stone’ and we have a harder time changing direction when we need to.

Small is better

Keep goals, plans and actions ‘small’. Most of your plans would centre on your marketing goals, marketing strategy and marketing plans (Michael E. Gerber says in the ‘E-Myth’ “Your Marketing strategy starts, ends, lives and dies with your customer”); but before you do that you should already have worked out the basics:

• The problem your idea is going to solve
• The product or service to solve it
• Your target audience (primary and secondary markets)
• How you will reach them
• Your competitors
• Price

I say basics; because these are the key elements that tell you if you have a viable business to start with; and create a good foundation to assess what you need to do. Creating a marketing plan is great, but without a solid foundation, all your efforts will be in vain – sadly. So take the time to do that and you can project to reach your targets within your set periods.  Some people may argue these elements are what’s in a business plan, well I would say, some business ideas are not yet viable enough so don’t require a ‘business plan’ or any plan just yet. This is a key point to starting up – having a good foundation.

So keep things small and simple, so they are achievable, and you can realise quick ‘victories’ to motivate you on. For instance consider making shorter ‘to do lists’ rather the long ones that almost never get ticked off. Make small ‘decisions’ rather than those that seem so intimidating or daunting and are often put off; and finally allocate small ‘time frames’ to tasks so you can achieve them quicker and move on to the next. Small bite sizes of actions, allows and gives you the momentum to keep on going. Try it, you will be surprised the difference it will make to you as a business owner and to your business.

Let’s face it, there are a lot of small businesses out there and you need a way to stand out. Writing a professional business book can give you instant credibility and it’s surprisingly achievable with digital technology to reach a global audience with your words. Attention is the first step in the sales funnel and a book is a great way to get you and your business noticed.

Here are 7 more reasons you should write a book for your business.

1. Demonstrate your expertise.

You’ve spent years gathering your knowledge in a specific niche. You have notes and seminars, training programs and articles as well as a lot of know-how in your head but how do you quickly and easily prove your ability? A book with your name on front establishes you as the expert and provides an easily consumable version of your knowledge.

2. Increase your credibility and status.

Authors are respected because they have achieved the concrete goal of publishing their work. People look at you differently when you say you’re an author. This increases your credibility in the market and will also give you more confidence in promoting your business.

3. Solidify and articulate your knowledge.

You may have perfected your one line elevator pitch but writing a book gives you the opportunity to expand and fully express your story. Business books are no longer dry and boring. They contain plenty of personal stories and anecdotes so you can share the unique aspects you bring to your niche. This also gives people a chance to know, like and trust you which is a key component in whether they will hire you or recommend you to others.

4. Expand opportunities for media and speaking.

If you have a physical book it can act as a business card, demonstrating your ability to speak coherently on your topic. This is useful for media as there is existing credibility and a focused topic they can interview you about. A book is also recommended if you want to create or expand your own speaking business. The most highly paid speakers have multiple books associated with the topics they speak on and speaking is a great way to bring new people into your business.

5. Create multiple streams of income.

You can sell your book online or at your live speaking events. You can also use the book as the basis of a larger product line to expand income streams. The book is your entry level information but you can also have an online multi-media course that expands the material, plus a full day workshop and 1:1 coaching around the topic. People might not be willing to go straight for the higher priced product but they will likely part with a smaller amount to read your book.

6. Grow your business internationally.

If you market your books to a wider audience, you can attract new people to your business. They may read your book and then want to investigate your professional services further. You can easily and cheaply publish print books as well as ebooks on Amazon.com. With print on demand technology, you can sell books to the huge US market as well as other countries.

7. The book you write will change your life.

Many people have a dream of writing a book, but that dream can now become a concrete goal. You probably started your business because you are passionate about something and want to change people’s lives. You have a story that needs to be told. Well, your voice is important and your words can be heard if you get them out there.  In these days of digital printing, you can achieve your goal of writing a book even with a small budget. So state your goal, and get writing!

Make 2012 the year your business stands out from the crowd.

If you want to write a book but you’re unsure how to go about it,
there’s a Women Unlimited workshop on Feb 22, 2012:
“How to write and publish your own business book”
and a further workshop on March 21st 2012:
“How to launch, market and sell your business book”

About the author:  Joanna Penn is an Amazon bestselling author and professional speaker on writing, digital publishing and internet marketing. Her business, The Creative Penn, helps people write, publish and sell their books. Follow Joanna on Twitter @thecreativepenn

Talking the talk

Effective communication is an essential factor in running a profitable business. It doesn’t matter if you are a sole-entrepreneur, SME or large corporation; successful businesses know that effective communication is essential for a business to thrive. If your communication is ineffective or you get it wrong then the potential to damage your reputation, brand and ultimately your bottom line could be disastrous. In this the third in a series of articles about attracting the right type of clients we examine communication.

Communicating, but with a strategy

For communication to work it requires identifying the end point and then developing your goals, strategy and tactics to get you there swiftly. Your communication efforts need to be aligned with specific outcomes that can be monitored, measured and improved over time. To create an effective plan it should contain the following:

• Define your communication goals by your audience. This is big picture stuff. Ask yourself what is it that you hope your communication will achieve.
• Your objectives support your goals and need to be specific and measurable. For example, a goal of raising awareness for a new service you have launched might have an associated objective of achieving a certain level of awareness with a specific target group within a set time frame.
• The next step is to design your strategy. The key point here is that you need to focus on your strengths as a business to get the most out of your communication efforts.  For example, if you have a database that is easy to use and full to brimming with great clients and contacts consider using social media as your communication tool to generate positive word of mouth.
• There can be a tendency to jump straight to tactics as this is the part that demonstrates results. However, the most successful communication campaigns always take the time to consider their goals, objectives and strategy and save the tactics to last.
• Measuring the outcome of your communication campaign is vital if you are to know how successful it has been and understand how it has helped reach your desired goals.

Don’t just talk, listen

Communicating isn’t just about making yourself heard, it’s about listening as well; most people think they are good listeners but often this is not the case. Have you ever found yourself in a conversation where you’ve had to repeat the same answer to a question several times, simply because the other person was not listening? A lot of the times people are caught up in their own heads, they are thinking about something else, maybe their next question. This means the person asking the questions is not in the moment of having a truly beneficial conversation. Clearing your mind of distractions including what you are going to say next, where your next meeting is or what is going on around you or outside enables you to stay in the moment. Give your full attention to the individual whether it’s by telephone, Skype or face-to-face. Only when you are in the moment can you ask those powerful questions that make all the difference.

Ask the right questions

Asking your client the right questions is one of the most important communication tools as it creates a meaningful exchange of ideas and information. When you ask skilful questions it helps to build and hone your ability for getting the right answers.  Below are some tips to follow so that you can become a master questioner.

• Suspend assumptions. Clarify and confirm what you understand to be correct and find out if that is the understanding of your client.
• A meeting with a client is often not just the two of you in a room but several people with different areas of expertise. Take time to ask thoughtful questions to each person. This demonstrates respect.
• Make sure you ask questions as opposed to stating your own views and opinions.
• Prepare for your meetings by writing down at least 5-6 questions you intend to ask that will open up the conversation.
• Be aware of your own intentions when asking your questions, don’t interrogate and always take note of the tone of your voice.

When you ask questions it demonstrates that you are listening and it actually helps you to listen better; it also has the added benefit of helping you to strengthen your relationship with your clients.  Communication is key to all great relationships; those with a client or contact as well as a spouse or partner. Being able to listen and ask questions plays a vital role in understanding what your client needs and what their goals are, as well as your own.

Listen to Yourself

A good exercise to really understand how well you are coming across when engaging with clients is to record yourself. Ask a few friends, who are business savvy, to spare 20-30 minutes of their time to let you go through your client pitch. Encourage them to ask questions throughout your presentation. At the end undertake a reflection process where you ask them for honest feedback. How well did they understand your offering? Did you get to the point quickly or did you ramble? Did you sufficiently answer their questions? How well did you maintain eye contact? What was your body language like? Where there any difficult moments and how well did you cope with those situations?  Armed with this information listen back to your presentation and see where you might be able to make improvements.  Treat this as a learning and development exercise and you will soon be perfecting your pitch. And finally…

There are plenty of good businesses who can talk a good game. But talking is not the sole purpose of communication. Knowing how you want to communicate what your business does, and how you want to connect with clients and potential partners is at the core of a strategy that will help raise your profile. When dealing with clients and contacts, listen as well as talking. Sell yourself but remember often what a client wants to hear is how well you understand their problems. It’s a two-way street that ensures you are part of a conversation and not a one-way speech.

See Step 1 here

See Step 2 here

How can you expect anyone to buy into your business if you aren’t clear about your offer and how you compare to the competition? In this the second in a series of articles about attracting the right type of client we examine positioning. Whether a one-man-band working out of a home office or a multi-national with a presence on every continent positioning is vital, but is often overlooked. It defines how you see yourself and your business in the marketplace and how you establish yourself next to competitors. Positioning is the first step of a business plan and provides the framework for your marketing and communications strategy.

What is positioning?

Positioning is about defining how your clients see you when they think of products/services in your industry. In their book, Positioning: the Battle for Your Mind Al Reis and Jack Trout explain it as occupying a space in the mind of your client. In the same way when we discussed networking we talked about the need to generate an emotional reaction that the client would remember when they thought about you, positioning provides the same framework. When clients think about buying a specific product or service they think of an emotional benefit associated with it and at that point you want your name to pop into their head.

Why is Positioning important?

If you get your positioning right you can; differentiate yourself from the competition; create clarity around your offer which can help speed up the sales cycle; help drive demand for your products/services; inform your communications strategies and help you stand head and shoulders above the competition. For example:

Over 15 years ago I worked for a company that pioneered executive coaching in the UK. When they launched their business in the 70s there were no other companies providing business coaching and to say that you were a business coach was enough to set yourself apart from other services like training.  Today it’s a very different story if you say you are a business or life coach you are just blending into the background. That statement alone is too generic you have to be able to describe what type of coach you are, for example, The Happiness Coach, The Accelerated Career Coach, Style Coach, Wealth Coach. Even these identifiers can appear generic and will be accompanied by a supporting statement that further drives home the coach’s positioning , target audience and uniqueness.

Many small business owners I have come into contact with understand the power of branding. Good branding definitely plays a part in helping to carve out that coveted spot in the market place but takes time and money to see a return.  What the very best business owners do is begin with positioning. It provides them with a concrete foundation to distinguish their product and service and provides a base from which to launch a branding strategy. Failure to differentiate creates market confusion.

Creating your positioning

Before you can start to create your positioning you need to be able to answer the following questions;

1. What problem does your product/service solve for your prospective clients?
2. How does the competition solve the same problem?
3. What benefit does your product/service deliver? Often companies talk about features but people buy based on emotion therefore you need to talk about the emotional benefits your product/service will provide.
4. What makes your product/service better than what is currently available?
5. How is your product/service unique and why is that of relevance to your potential clients?
6. Are you communicating the elements that make your product/service unique?

Once you can answer the above with confidence you are on your way to creating a solid positioning for your business. But if the above proves difficult try the following steps to help gain greater insights;

1. Make a list of your audiences and for each grouping identifying what their urgent needs are.
2. Examine the competition – how are they positioning themselves, how do you differentiate your product/service from them, what do your customers care about and how are you communicating that to them?
3. Go out and talk to potential clients to get a better understanding of their wants and needs. This should be carried out once a year as part of your client audit.
4. Brainstorm – write down all the ways you want to be perceived by your clients and write down the qualities of your ideal client.
5. Review the results from the above points and distill the essence into a few pithy sentences. Test out your draft positioning statements on friendly clients, colleagues, friends and family who know what it takes to run a successful business. At the Women Unlimited Business Club meetings there is always an opportunity to test out your positioning statements in the break-out groups.

If you are still scratching your head then don’t persist on your own. Someone who is impartial will provide the much needed insight and views you are looking for to sharpen your vision. Consider asking a trusted business adviser, mentor, coach or employ an expert to work with you on this task.

So what’s my position?

When you have all the information to the above you will be able to start crafting your positioning statement and supporting key messages. This need not be an encyclopedic document; a positioning statement is generally a couple of sentences in length. It tells a client what you do, who you’ve done it for and how you are uniquely placed to solve their problem. These key messages are not told once but over and over again at every opportunity, they become part of your business’ DNA; in a crowded market place repetition is vital.

Establishing a position is a lot easy and quicker than establishing a brand.  It helps your clients to understand the benefits of your products/services and if it’s right for them. Can you imagine what it would be like if all your potential clients knew exactly what you were offering and the unique benefits they would get as a result of engaging with your business? It really would save a lot of time. Clarity is key. Vagueness and fuzziness can lead to problems and difficulties ahead so the clearer you get on your messaging the better it will be for your clients and ultimately your business.

Networking helps you reach new and potential clients who will help your business grow; positioning is what helps you know how to sell yourself. It reflects an understanding of your marketplace, the challenges your clients will face and how you can solve them. It is the most important step in defining yourself as an expert and experienced voice in your field.

See Step 1 here