simple techniques

More Clients, Less Social Media

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In the hundreds of presentations I’ve done, the subject of social media ALWAYS comes up. And the #1 comment that people make about it?

“I spend way too much time on social media, but I’m not getting any clients from of it.”

Tied for the #2 most frequent comment is, “but everyone says you have to do it” and, “I know I’m missing out if I don’t do it.”

They assume they’re doing it wrong and/or not doing enough.

Let’s cut to the chase here, shall we? If you have a service-based business and you’re not getting clients from social media…

YES, you’re probably using social media the wrong way, and…

NO, doing more is not what you need.

Below are simple steps to take, but here’s the deal: if you truly want to free yourself from stress and frustration, you MUST commit time to stepping away from the busy-ness of your business so you can actually reflect and think it through without interruption.

1.     Realize where your leads come from. Consider two things as you reflect on this:

  • Look at your past clients. And to be crystal clear, “clients” are defined as people who have PAID to work with you. What marketing actions did you take that brought them to your door?
  • Look at what works in your industry to generate leads. And you have to dig a bit deeper than scrolling through LinkedIn, Instagram or TikTok to get the truth about this. What you see on social media and what is actually building businesses are often VERY different things.

2.     Reprioritize social media. The lead generation strategies that you identified in #1 above? Get very specific about what those actions are, and then instead of putting endless Canva designing in your calendar, put the actions that have a proven track record of generating clients into your calendar first.

3.     Redefine social media’s role. Don’t throw away social media completely, but instead put it in its proper place. For the majority* of service-based businesses, social media plays a supporting role to strategies like referrals and speaking. A professional, on-brand post once a week is usually plenty.

4.     Repeat steps 1-3 quarterly. It’s easy to get sucked into old habits as you build new ones, or be lured by a bright shiny sales pitch that gets you off track.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution, of course, but I hope that this evaluation lowers your stress level about social media!

* I’d estimate this is true for 9 out of 10 service-based businesses, and 9.9 out of 10 for coaches and consultants. 😊

Elevate 2023: Evaluate the Numbers for Better Lead Generation

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Lead generation… WOW. If you want to get me woohooing all over the place, just give me an hour to talk about maximizing your lead generation efforts.

Since I realize not everyone gets jazzed about numbers and lead gen, I’ll keep it simple.

Because – love it or hate it – you have to do lead generation. You just don’t want it to take more time than it needs to, right?

Me neither.

So every year, I let my data guide my decisions in order to make my lead gen more effective and streamlined.

A.K.A. mo’ money and clients, less hustle and grind.

Here are a handful of key questions I answered for myself to make sure I’m on the right track as I build my action plan for 2023. I don’t want to repeat past mistakes, and I want to double down on the things that got great results!

  1. Where are clients coming from (lead generation activities)?
  2. What is my closing ratio?
  3. What is the average income per client? 
  4. For speakers: which topic results in the most new clients? What groups result in the most new business?
  5. What percentage of clients are new, repeat and renewing?

This video goes into more detail about what I’m doing with these numbers to get better results in 2023. (And yes, there is a spreadsheet!)

Elevate 2023: Schedule Your Personal Life FIRST

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When I first committed to putting my personal life on my calendar first, I remember the questions that popped into my head:

  • What if something comes up?
  • How do I know when to go on vacation if I don’t know what my clients need?
  • What if I get it wrong?

So much of this came from years of working a job where other people dictated my time off. And here’s the truth about the answers to these questions.

  • If something comes up, you can change your schedule.
  • Let your clients know when you’re going on vacation.
  • You will get it wrong sometimes, but no one besides you will notice.

All good? Ready to start planning your wonderful life?

Here’s what I put on the calendar each year, to get things started:

1. One 3-day weekend per month (last Friday of the month off)

2. One planning day per month (last Monday of the month)

3. Speaking events

4. Travel for work (conferences, speaking)

5. Vacations

One last thing: while I live and die by my google calendar, I highly recommend getting a wall calendar so you can see everything at a glance for the year!

Step 6 – ask your cat for feedback (this step is optional and actually not recommended)

Don’t Miss the Easy Close

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Recently I attended a presentation and decided I’d like to speak with the presenter about possibly hiring her.

I said, “I’ve been thinking about hiring someone like you, can I get your information?”

She said, “Why don’t we just get together to brainstorm over coffee?”

I accepted her offer, but it’s important to note that if she had told me that the next step was to have a conversation about options for working together, I would have said yes. Or if she’d said that the initial consultation is $500, I would have given her my credit card.

She missed an easy close.

Running a business is hard enough some days, so make sure you’re prepared to take the easy wins when they come your way!

Here are a few do’s and don’ts to help you when these excellent opportunities come your way:

DO be prepared for a prospect who is ready to hire you now. Have an abbreviated sales process ready to go for this opportunity!

DON’T skip the process altogether. Ready buyers become the best clients when you take a little time to clarify their goals and expectations.

DO move quickly. If someone says, “I want to hire you,” let them! Find out their timeline and then get terms sorted out – yes, that includes payment – ASAP.

DON’T bog down the process by worrying that before they hire you, a prospect needs to know more about how you do what you do. Or they need to know all the program options and pricing. Or they need the history of your company and how it’s different from other companies. They have a need, so simply recommend the best option, and get hired.

DO have an easy way for them to pay you immediately. Once someone has made the financial investment, their commitment is solid. Delaying this is one of the top reasons a hot prospect fizzles out.

DON’T be afraid that you’re rushing a prospect who wants to hire you quickly. You’re only rushing if you’re trying to push your agenda over theirs. Trust yourself. Moving fast to serve a prospect’s immediate need is not rushing them; it is serving them at the highest level.

And you want to know the best part? Now that you’re aware this can happen, and you are clear about how to successfully navigate them, you’re going to start noticing these opportunities popping up more often.

You’re welcome!

Ever Hesitate to Promote Yourself?

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Do you ever hesitate to promote yourself to your email list? If you’re concerned that you’re being too salesy by promoting yourself, don’t panic! I learned something very interesting lately that might help you step up and make offers with less fear.

For some quick insight on striking a balance between promoting yourself and offering valuable content, enjoy this video!

The Question That Completely Changes the Conversation

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I bet you send dozens of emails a day, and the majority of them are unimportant. Not unnecessary, just not earth-shatteringly important.

Getting business done. Asking questions. Answering questions.

Communicating, but not connecting.

And you may wonder, “Is it even possible to truly connect in a meaningful way via email?”

There is. And I’m going to give you the one simple question that makes it possible.

Now understand, this question helps you connect in a more meaningful way so that a separate, deeper conversation can be had, usually on the phone or in person. But this question gets the ball rolling in the right direction of true connection, rather than just being one more email in someone’s inbox.

The question is, “Is there anything I can do to support you?”

I regularly ask this to close out email conversations. And in the responses to that question, I find the tone has shifted dramatically.

As if they are so accustomed to having everyone want to take from them, that being asked if there is anything you can give them is a profoundly astonishing concept.

The responses of gratitude just warm my heart, and true connections are born.

And beyond just responses of heartfelt gratitude, I’ve also gotten the opportunity to lend support to someone in need, and (surprisingly) this question has also lead to business opportunities.

Have fun with this. Ask the question and share what happens!