Getting In Front of Your Target Market in a BIG Way

Last week I attended Ali Brown’s last ever (annual) Online Success Blueprint Workshop. It’s an event dedicated to teaching her simple, proven, and easy to implement Internet marketing system. This was actually my third time attending…I first went in 2006 when I was still learning the ins and outs of Internet marketing. That year I was the only Virtual Assistant there, among 250 attendees. Last year, I was one of 3 Virtual Assistants out of 250+ attendees. This year there were about 10 of us (mostly from AssistU) among almost 500 attendees, which was wonderful to see.

Why am I telling you this? Because attending events such as these, has been a MAJOR contributing factor in my growing my business to its current level and beyond. Did it cost me money to attend this? YES! The registration fee was $997 (that was the discounted rate from $2,997!) Plus, I paid my own travel expenses AND took off time from my business. But was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY! I am sitting at my desk right now looking at the business cards of 15 people who are just itching to hire a new Virtual Assistant to help them implement all the cool strategies they learned last week. And because they know that I am an expert on this topic, I don’t have to “sell” myself so that they’ll want to hire me.

Even better than that, I can CHOOSE to work with as many or as few of these individuals as I want and have no qualms about charging my standard retainer and project fees. You see, working with just one of these prospective clients will MORE than pay for the time and expense it cost me to attend the event. As an added bonus, it was another great opportunity to hone my networking skills and connect with lots of folks that I had never met face-to-face or hadn’t seen in a while. As you can see, this experience was a win-win all the way around!

What is the moral of the story? We are BUSINESS OWNERS and we MUST to invest the time, money and energy in our businesses to grow and market them effectively. I always get irritated when I hear VAs say, “Oh, I can’t afford to go to any events, they cost too much money!” That thought should NEVER cross our minds, let along come out of our mouths. If you tell yourself that you can’t afford to go, then you won’t go. So don’t tell yourself that! If you think you can’t afford to attend live events or invest in programs to enhance or gain new skills, that’s probably due to a two-fold problem:

1) You aren’t charging enough money for your services and
2) You aren’t setting aside money and time each month/year to invest in yourself and your business.

If you truly want to grow your business and start working smarter, not harder, you MUST invest in your business. It’s simply not optional. And if you are tired of working with DUD clients, who drain your energy, don’t pay you what you’re worth and don’t belong in your practice then you need to identify your IDEAL client and start getting in front of them.

The OSBW was filled to the brim with my ideal clients, smart, sassy, forward-thinking women who are ready, willing and eager to take their business to the next level. I was truly inspired by many of the people I met there and made some GREAT connections that I know will lead to new joint ventures, projects and other opportunities. That was EXACTLY the reason I chose to attend the event. I do Internet marketing all day, every day, I’ve already been to the event twice and the content hasn’t changed that much. But I recently phased two non-ideal clients out of my practice and was looking to replace them. That’s why I went. And that’s what I got. Putting myself RIGHT in front of my target market and clearly articulating how I can help them improve their business guaranteed me new clients.

As you prepare your business and marketing plan for 2009, be sure you set aside time and money to attend live events to get in front of YOUR target market. It’s one of the fastest, easiest ways to grow your business quickly.

I’d love to know your thoughts on this article, as well as your experiences and questions, so please feel free to post your comments below.