Getting In Front of Your Target Market In a BIG Way
This week I am meeting with my fellow Mastermind members to spend three days working on my business. I applied for the Mastermind at a marketing workshop I attended this past spring. In attendance at the workshop were several hundred solo service professionals who were looking for tips and strategies to implement into their business.
Why am I telling you this? Because attending events such as this, has been a MAJOR contributing factor in growing my business to its current level. Did it cost me money to attend this? YES! (The registration fee was $2,497!) Plus, I paid my own travel expenses AND took off time from my business. But was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY! I walked away with contact information for several hot prospects that were just itching to work with me.
Even better than that, I CHOSE to work with as many or as few of these individuals as I wanted and have had no qualms about charging my standard retainer and project fees. I ended up working with four new entrepreneurs who have been an absolute delight to work with. You see, working with just one of these prospective clients MORE than paid for the time and expense it cost me to attend the event. (In fact the combined revenue has been more than 10 times the investment 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 invest the time, money and energy in our businesses to grow and market them effectively. I try not to 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 alone 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 it is 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 marketing workshop 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 had recently phased out two non-ideal clients from 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 late 2009/early 2010, 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 on the blog.
Action Steps for the Week:
- Choose one target market.
- Find online and off-line places where people in that market congregate.
- Look for 2 or 3 events that you would like to attend before December 2009.
- Register for the events and make plans to attend.
- Fix in your mind the problems that you solve for them and the big benefits that your clients receive from working with you.
- Prepare to attend the events and confidently share your expertise.
“I try not to 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 alone come out of our mouths.”
Yes, we should be willing to invest in our business and development. However, please be mindful, some of us have been struck very hard by the economy. We’ve lost clients. Our spouses have been out of work for prolonged periods of time. Our homes have been in foreclosure. The reality of bankruptcy is looming before us. For the first time in our lives, we are forced to accept public assistance to survive.
So instead of fighting back irritation, perhaps the first inclination should be compassion for those of us who truly cannot afford to take advantage of these great opportunities.
Great article Sydni and I couldn’t agree more. It’s a number one essential to invest both in your own personal development and that of your business. And as for getting in front of your target audience, Mastermind groups like this are perfect. You’re putting yourself in front of dynamic people who are ready to invest in their businesses and will not quibble and gripe every time you bill them. They are more interested in the overall bigger picture of making their buinesses grow and prosper and recognise the role that a top notch virtual assistant can have in that growth.
Hi Ann,
Thanks for your comment! I really appreciate your response to the article.
I agree that many have been hit hard by economic challenges. That fact cannot be ignored, nor should it be minimized. In fact, it’s all the more reason to step up one’s marketing efforts. Which doesn’t have to cost thousands or even hundreds of dollars. For instance, about a month ago I paid $16 to attend a Meet-Up networking event in the next town. There was a cash bar, hors d’oeuvres, lots of networking and a presentation about how to use LinkedIn to grow your business. I really enjoyed myself and, among others, met a wonderful woman with a consulting business who hired me the following week for some marketing coaching. So, that $16 and 2 hours of my time turned into a paying client and a great new contact right in my backyard.
My point in the article was to take advantage of opportunities to networking with your target market en-mass. Does that mean paying $1K to attend and event, along with travel expenses? Sure! If you can do it. But, if not, you can just as easily market your business at inexpensive, local events that hold just as much potential.
I wish you much success in your efforts to grow your business….I know that you will continue to succeed!
Warm regards,
Sydni