(c) 2007 Please feel free to read and use the ideas expressed in these excerpts. However, these quotes are copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced in any manner whatsoever in part or in whole for profit or commercial gain without the express written permission of the author. Please contact Lori D'Ascenzo at mediaart@wirelessworks.ca
Don't advertise just one time and then give up because you didn't get great results. Health issues are intimate and very personal to most people. You touch their bodies, and get inside their minds. That means you need to build a someone's trust and confidence before they will feel comfortable placing their health issues in your hands.
To do that, you need to present an image that is professional, stable, reliable, and successful. If you advertise once and then disappear, or don't advertise at all, you send a message that you are a) out of business b) cannot afford to advertise and are therefore not successful c) unreliable/flakey d) are hiding e) don't want any new clients
Repetition allows your information to eventually filter through people's mental barriers. So keep advertising. The effects are cumulative! Even your regular clients need to be reminded that you are still available to serve them.
Tell EVERYONE about your services. Seems obvious, but most holistic practitioners don't even tell their family members and associates about what they are doing. If holistic practitioners themselves project the impression they are ashamed of what they do, won't the public's perception be that there must be something wrong with it?
Trade shows are exceptional ways to attract new clients. Exhibiting in trade shows provides opportunities for direct interaction with potential clients, networking opportunities and new business contacts.
Attending trade shows introduces you to new products, services, equipment, information and experts you may need for your own Alternative Health practice.
Unfortunately, more than 80% of exhibitors waste the fabulous opportunities provided by trade shows. Learn how to maximize your trade show results with CAM PROFESSIONALS' GUIDE TO ATTRACTING CLIENTS
Happy clients are your best public relations tool. They are your endorsement, your reference, and your walking billboard. On average, 20% of your customers will bring you 80% of your business, so keep your clients HAPPY!
Follow up every appointment to ensure each client is satisfied. Ask if you can do anything to improve your service. You will make your client feel valued and special. Be certain to immediately acknowledge each referral with a 'thank you.'
Image is not about who you really are. It is about how people perceive you. It is about who other people think you are.
If you choose to ignore the need to establish an image, or dismiss image as superficial or not important, you are deliberately sabotaging your business. How you dress, how you speak, how you present your services or products, and how you promote your business all portray an image of you and your business. That image translates into the type of clients you attract, the degree of demand for your services, and the prices you can charge for your services.
Are you projecting the right image? Unless you know how to dress, speak, and present your business in a way that instills confidence and trust in your ability, consumers could be making the wrong assumptions about you and your services. Sadly, their impressions could be entirely wrong. By understanding the subtle clues that lead people to make judgements and assessments of you, efforts can be made to adjust your image to one that leaves the right impression.
Don't let your business suffer from false impressions about you. CAM PROFESSIONALS' GUIDE TO ATTRACTING CLIENTS will make you aware of the image you presently project, help you decide which image you would like to present, and show you how to project that image successfully
How many times have you seen a name on a building and wondered what they made or sold? Your business name is your most basic means of advertising your services or products. It should say who you are and what you do. Make sure your name relates to your product and reveals clearly what you are selling. Your name should not confuse or mislead.
ALWAYS include your entire address and full name in any advertising materials including your brochures and business cards--even if you operate from home. You can add 'by appointment only' if you are concerned about clients showing up at your home unannounced.
If you omit such critical information as your last name or location, readers become suspicious and wonder why you are hiding. That can cost you a lot of potential calls. You will also lead people to believe you could be a 'massage parlour', and could get the wrong kind of calls.
The colours you choose for your decor, signs, brochures and attire all greatly influence people's impression about your business. Why?
Each colour is actually waves of light. Although subtle, these light waves affect us physiologically and well as psychologically. Colour has been scientifically proven to influence our moods, attitudes and emotions.
There are 8 basic colours, and a million hues or variations of these colours that can be arranged in any of 3 colour schemes.
To create the greatest harmony, success and client comfort in your environment, you must match the right colour scheme to the appropriate mood or activity it will stimulate. For instance, if you and your clients need to be focused and energized, choose livelier, contrasting colours for your office. If your work involves more emotional rapport and personal contact with clients, such as counselling or therapies, your clients will feel more at ease in nature colours such as green, or in an environment that echoes the colours in your aura. You also look best and feel most empowered and comfortable in an environment that reflects these colours.
Your telephone answering machine is NOT your receptionist. It is your most important direct advertising tool.
Consumers call when they are highly motivated to use your services. They are anxious to speak to someone who can answer their questions. When a caller doesn't get to talk to someone in person and has to leave a message, their desire and motivation suddenly deflates. They begin to feel they have just lost control of the interaction. Asking a caller to leave a message forces them to make a commitment. That is why callers won't leave a message.
Your answering machine cannot foster the same kind of confidence, knowledge and skill as you can project personally. But, it can provide callers with important information about your business. Be sure your message clearl conveys your name, services, business hours, key information, and provides options for the caller.
Good networking is the skill of creating human links that can lead others to you and lead you to others. Networking builds referrals, the most powerful means of attracting clients. Networking actually creates a FREE sales force for your business.
Whether or not you realize it, you are constantly networking. It isn't always about business! Every time you speak to someone about what you do, every time you pass out a business card or brochure, every time you tell someone about any product or service you have just tried, every time you talk to someone and learn what they do or exchange information of any kind, you are networking.
Know what you want to achieve BEFORE you begin advertising. Set a goal. Without a target to hit, you are just throwing balls out into a field. Decide what you want to achieve and how long it should take to achieve it....public awareness of a new product ... an increase in sales by 20% in the next 3 months ... a complete sellout on a product, etc. With a specific goal and time line pinpointed you can more easily decide on the best advertising methods to accomplish this, and your energy will be able to attract the specific results you desire.
Create a compelling reason for people to come to you. Present health statistics people can identify with, or offer a testimonial they can relate to. What need do you fulfill? This awareness is your ticket to success!
For instance......if you are an RMT, you need to understand that people do not come to you for a massage. They come to you to feel good, to get rid of pain. 75% of people experience recurring pain.
A shoe store doesn't sell shoes....they sell style, image and sex appeal to women and comfort to men. A real estate agency does not sell houses....they sell comfort, security, and sometimes prestige.
Your business exterior is really your public face. It creates the first impression about your business and your services. In Feng Shui philosophy, your store front announces to the world your career, your wisdom, and your willingness to help others. What does your business exterior say about you?
There are simple tricks to attract attention to your business and draw traffic in through your door. For instance, if you want to attract more walk-in traffic, paint your door a refreshing soft yellow, or add yellow flowers, yellow bows or yellow shutters around the entrance. Statistics show people respond to yellow very readily, since it is the easiest colour for the eye to perceive.
This is just a brief sampling of the great ideas for attracting clients you'll find detailed in the CAM PROFESSIONALS' GUIDE TO ATTRACTING CLIENTS. For more details on these ideas and LOTS more great ideas, ORDER your copy today!
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