05/21/13

How to turn free calls into paying clients

freecallsintopayingclients

 

So, you’ve got a whole week of free calls lined up. You’re confident in what you’re talking about, but you’re scared shitless to ask people to pay you for anything.

Free calls are great and all, but they’re only working if you’re actually getting paying clients from them. That’s not to say that EVERY free call will turn into a paying client (because sometimes it’s not the perfect fit), but there should be a pretty strong conversion rate once you get them on the phone.

I know how most of you feel about asking for the sale (not so great), so I’ve come up with three tips to help you convert your free calls into paying clients.

 

1. Only answer the questions they ask you.

Most of the free calls that we do are

  • Only give them the details they’re looking for.
  • Don’t overly complicate the call by elaborating or going off topic.
  • Let them talk. Listen more.
  • Use this time to let them ask specific questions and give them direct advice related to their business.

 

2. Don’t feel pressured to talk pricing over the phone.

  • If you have services that are flat fees and the same for everyone, you can let them know if they ask (I also recommend putting this info on your website. No use in hiding it.).
  • If you have custom services, such as web design, once they say they’re ready to get started, tell them you’ll have a custom quote over to them by the end of the night. The sooner you can get it to them, the better.

If you don’t feel comfortable talking about pricing over the phone, there’s always a way to get around it until you do start feeling comfortable talking about it.

 

3. Ask for the sale.

Regardless of how scared you feel to ask for the sale, it’s something that must be done if you want to book new clients.
Don’t end the conversation without asking them , “ready to get started?”
If you don’t ask, why would you expect them to initiate it. To you, it feels pushy. To them, it feels like you’re not interested in working with them. Ask them.

 

A few more pointers for using free calls as a part of your marketing plan:

  • Record the calls – this is done for you market research that you can use in your biz when creating new offerings or blog posts.
  • Keep your free calls short. The average free call is 15 – 30 minutes. If you think the call will last 20-30 minutes, then make it a 15 minute call because they almost always run over.
  • Use them strategically in your client intake process. If you only have 1 or 2 offerings that are relatively high-priced, offering free calls is a great way to get your clients acquainted with how you work and allows them to ask any questions before they commit. You can offer free calls after they fill out a new client application, which allows you to get more information about their unique situation before the call. Or, you can offer the free call before they fill out anything.
  • Use an online scheduler to book free calls. You want to make this as streamlined of a process as possible to make sure you’re utilizing the time you’re spending on free calls. I recommend www.scheduleonce.com, www.coconutcalendar.com & www.timetrade.com.

I want to hear from you!

Do you use free calls to book new clients?

What have you found works best to convert free calls into paying clients?

Tell me in the comments below! 

 

→ Marketing, Selling Yourself
7 Comments

05/15/13

3 things you MUST know before you master the art of marketing & sales

It pains me when people tell me that they hate self-promotion… when they own a business.

Without self-promotion or marketing, you’re just someone with a skill and a website, but no sales.

That doesn’t sound like the ideal picture, now does it?

I think it’s extremely important for every business owner to feel comfortable with marketing. If you think about it, we’re ALL in the business of marketing. We must practice it every day if we want our businesses to grow and we must do a few shameless plugs to make sure people know we’re still alive.

But, before we dive into the 3 things you must know before you master the art of marketing & sales, I think it’s important that you shift your “marketing mindset” – what I like to call THE MARKETING MINDSHIFT. Clever, I know.

 

The Marketing Mindshift by Amanda Genther

 

Now that we’ve got that covered, let’s go over the three things you need to understand in order to make sure your marketing efforts work for you.

1. What do you want to be known for?

Understanding what you want to be known for will shape your entire business. It’ll shape what content you write, the people you surround yourself with and the bigger message that you’re sharing with the world.

2. Who do you want to help? Who are your dream customers?

This is the most important thing that you need to understand if you want to be a successful marketer. If you don’t understand who you want to help and you don’t understand everything there is to know about your dream customers, you won’t be able to write sales copy that speaks directly to them. You won’t be able to use their exact language when writing your website copy or creating your new offerings.

Becoming extremely clear on who you want to work with and narrowing in on what you think is already a narrow niche will set you up for more success, especially in the early stages of your business. After a few years, you’ll be able to target a much broader group of people because you’ve already established yourself as a leader in your industry.

3. What problem can you solve for your dream customers?

This is the most important question to understand if you want your business to make money.

And you know how I feel about this – if you aren’t making money, you don’t have a business, you have a hobby.

Going back to #2, once you truly understand who your dream customers are, it’ll be easier to understand what their biggest frustrations and pain points are. You’ll understand what keeps them up at night and how you can solve that problem for them.

You also need to listen to what your dream customers are already saying by finding them online and paying attention to them.

You can interview your dream customers and ask them directly.

Now I’d like to hear from you

What are your biggest frustrations with marketing and sales? I’d love to know so that I can be sure to include it in an upcoming course that I’m putting together.

Leave a comment below and let me know!

 

→ Marketing, Selling Yourself
12 Comments

04/30/13

It’s not a NOW thing.

Warning: this is more of a public service announcement & reminder – to you, to me and to every other creative entrepreneur out there who has big dreams and crazy minds.

 

Do you have the same problem as me?

You want everything… like NOW.

You want to launch that new course, and that new ebook and that new service… like NOW.

But, you can’t seem to focus on just one thing long enough to launch.

I’m working on it, but thanks to talking with a lovely coach, we’ve come up with my new motto:

itsnotanowthing

It’s posted on my computer and I repeat it to myself everyday. The point is – take it one project at a time, do a fantastic job, rest and then move onto the next one.

Oh, and pin that sucker up there! It’ll be a constant reminder to you every time your creative mind starts to wander to the next project before you’re finished with the current one.

 

If you need help planning your goals and projects for the year, pop your name and email in the box below this post or on the sidebar to receive instant access to my free creative entrepreneur toolbox, which contains a 90-day planning calendar.

I want to hear from you!

Do you struggle with wanting it all NOW? How do you plan out your year of project priorities? What (if anything) has worked for you when focusing on one project at a time?

Tell me in the comments!

→ Building Your Biz, Business Smackdown, Planning Tools
13 Comments

04/17/13

Are you making it easy for people to hire you?

Are there tumbleweeds rolling across your services page?

Are your products moving like molasses off your digital shelf?

A lot of clients come to me because their products and services aren’t selling.

They are usually very experienced and have the skills to perform the service, but nobody seems to be emailing or purchasing.

This can be extremely frustrated, because without sales, you don’t have a business.

 

I also find that most people aren’t making it easy enough for their perfect clients to hire them. You may think you’re making it easy enough, because it’s obvious to you what they should do next. But, don’t let this way of thinking cause you to lose valuable clients and money.

3 things you can do to make it easy for people to HIRE YOU:

Continue Reading…

→ Marketing, Selling Yourself
13 Comments

04/10/13

The biggest thing holding you back from ‘the next level’ and how to break free.

As entrepreneurs, and specifically as women entrepreneurs, we tend to compare, compare, compare.

We compare ourselves to the successful women who have been in business for 10 more years than we have and we want what they have… like, right now!

We compare ourselves to the successful women who seem to be overnight successes and you start to wonder, what did I do wrong?

We compare ourselves to the girl who seems to make shit happen, all the time, on a consistent basis.

We compare ourselves to the mentor who seems to have it all figured out.

What we don’t realize is that they all possess one thing.

Clarity

 

Having clarity on your brand and business includes understanding what your values are, what your mission is, who you want to help and what you want to help them do or conquer.

When you have clarity in your business, you stop comparing.

When you understand exactly who you’re brand is communicating with, you stop comparing.

When you understand the mission that you’re on and the value that you provide your clients, you stop comparing.

 

Helping you find clarity in your business so that you can push through any mental setbacks is what I do best.

Do you need help filtering through clutter, uncertainty and confusion?

I’ve combined what I’ve learned through my previous coaching services, my brand development & design clients and my Sweet Spot Session graduates to create the ultimate VIP package for women entrepreneurs who are ready to bust free from the roadblocks, self-doubt and confusion in their business. One day is all it takes. I’ve seen it work every single time. I’ve never left a coaching session with a client and not seen dramatic results soon after.

This new & improved, total-business-transformation session (AKA, Sweet Spot Session) is priced at $1,500 and includes:

  • a welcome package and 17-page Pre-Session Playbook to address your biggest business concerns and work through exercises that will start to bring more clarity before we even talk 1-on-1
  • a 4-hour private session via Skype or phone to work through your biggest branding and marketing roadblocks and develop a plan to help you bust through the clutter and create a business that represents you
  • a complete & customized brand review of your current identity, website and social media presence, along with video screencasts of me walking you through minor changes that will create dramatic shifts in your business {NEW}
  • a customized Brand Blueprint that lays out (and sums up) everything we talked about during our time together, along with a detailed action plan and roadmap to guide you through the next 3-6 months
  • a 1-hour Skype or phone call, one month after your session to review your progress, make any changes to your plan and give you a chance to ask for personalized feedback {NEW}

But, this doesn’t work if the results are left only up to me. It’s all about the follow-through, baby. Taking action.

Which is why I’ve also created a more long-term relationship option for us.

My 3-Month Brand Intensive program is an extended version of a Sweet Spot Session and provides the accountability that entrepreneurs, like you and I, need in our business.

This program is all about using what we create during our 1-day intensive to make major shifts in your business in order to bring more clarity, more confidence and MORE PROFITS. This is a 3-month program that begins immediately after your Sweet Spot Session. It includes weekly action emails, monthly Skype or phone calls and marketing plans galore. Right now, this is the ONLY opportunity to work with me on a long-term basis.

This program only has 15 (12) spots open for the rest of the year. More information on this here.

If you’re ready to book your spot now, you can click here to get started

After you’ve filled out the application (I want to make sure you’re as serious as I am about making big leaps towards growth), you’ll hear back from me to set up your session date or to answer any questions.

If you’re not quite ready to book, but want to be notified about additional offerings that are releasing soon, you can click here to sign up

To read more about the Sweet Spot Sessions or read what my Sweet Spot Graduates have said, click here. (Massive amounts of clarity seems to be a common thread!)

Even if you choose not to book right now, I hope that you can gain massive amounts of clarity by reading through my blog posts and subscribing to my email list for exclusive content that nobody else reads.

 

postsignature

→ Building a Brand, DIY Branding, Finding Your Sweet Spot, Resources
Leave a comment

03/26/13

4 ways to overcome the fear of starting your business.

Where would you rather be in five years?

Commuting 1 hour each way to your 9-5, Monday through Friday. Your boss doesn’t respect you, you’re just another number. Your salary is sub-par and you’re working week-to-week just to get by. You have weekends free, but only 2 weeks of vacation per year. You constantly wonder “what if I had started my business five years ago like I had wanted?”. You’d hoped to work on your business part-time until it took off, but by the time you get home from your job, you’re exhausted, uninspired and doubtful that it will ever work. You know you were meant for bigger and better things, but you never took that risk on yourself. You played it safe.

or…

Working from a comfy home office with your dog snuggled up against your feet. No boss to check in with. No 1 hour commute to a cubicle. You choose how you spend every day. You take your kids to the park every Tuesday afternoon and meet up with your friends for lunch every Friday. You work less than you did at your day job, but you manage to make more money than you could have ever imagined. You take 2 months off every year to re-charge and relax… because you can. You’re inspired every day. You wake up on Monday morning ready for the week. You took a risk. You bet on yourself.

 

Which would you choose?

 

When you sign up to my email list, I ask everyone a question in the first email:

“What is the one thing holding you back from starting or growing your business”

The top 3 responses:

FEAR, MONEY & TIME

My response to ‘money’: it costs $8/year for a domain name, about $6/mo. for hosting.

My response to ‘time’: everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, etc. It’s what you choose to do with your time that counts.

My response to fear is a bit different. That’s something that most of us can relate to. Before anybody starts their business, it’s only natural to be fearful of the unknown.

But, just like any other activity, the fear starts to go away after you’ve been practicing for a while.

online-photography-business-10-success-ideas-with-quotes-to-inspire-002-01

Here are four ways to overcome the fear of starting your business:

1. Understand that everyone fails

The only people who don’t fail are the ones who never take risks. They’re also the ones who will never be able to experience the freedom and thrill of owning their own business.

Look at Russell Simmons, for example. Here’s a quote that I pulled from this article (which you should also read):

“Many of my biggest business endeavors were failures before they became a success. Some failed for as long as six years before they hit.  Everyone around me thought I was crazy. You just have to stay at it.” — Russell Simmons

Many successful business owners have failed. Scratch that – MOST successful business owners have failed. It’s what they did after they failed that made the difference.

Here’s another awesome quote, just because I love me a good quote:

“Failure is an event, never a person.” — William D. Brown

2. Consider your worst-case scenario

How bad is it? If you ever find yourself in your worst-case scenario, what are some things that you can do to fix your situation?

For example, if you quit your job and don’t end up making as much money as you thought at the beginning of your business you could always take on a part-time job until your business takes off.

When it comes down to it, your worst-case scenario isn’t normally as bad of a situation as you assume. There are always things you can do to reverse it.

3. Consider your missed opportunities

For me, the fear of NOT starting my business and always wondering what if far outweighed any fear of failure that I might have in business.

I’m so scared of what I could miss out on, that not taking action is out of the question.

I use fear to give myself the momentum to prove myself wrong. To shock those around me who were also doubtful.

What are some missed opportunities that you might have if you let your fear win?

Some of mine include: financial freedom, living my desired lifestyle, 8 weeks of vacation every year, daily freedom and being able to make a difference in people’s lives by helping them create their dream business.

The question is – could I live my entire life never knowing what could have been?

4. Have a solid foundation and vision in place

I believe that what causes most creatives to never start their business is not understanding how the business side of things will work.

As a creative, you tend to focus more on the actual skill that you can offer, but neglect the side of business that enables you to make money from those skills.

It could any (or all) of these struggles that cause this fear:

  • You can’t clearly explain WHY people should trust, believe and buy from you.
  • You don’t feel confident in what you’re offering, because you’re scared to death of the ‘S’ word – SALES!!
  • You don’t know who you’re selling your services to, so you’re unable to connect on an emotional level with the people who are willing & ready to pay for what you’re offering.

Having a solid foundation in place that clearly lays out all of the above, will eliminate so many fears and allow you to feel confident and clear in your business.

Time for action -

If you struggle with fear, go through each of these ways and get real honest with yourself. I’ve created a fillable form PDF to help you to work through each question.

Download it here, save it to your computer and fill it out.

If you’re still feeling the fear, come back here and tell me what you’re thinking.

I want to help you however I can, and you never know who else could be reading – there are always people ready and willing to help out.

If you think this article will help out a friend, please share it using any of the social buttons below. I’d appreciate it and I know they will, too.

Also, if you like what you’re reading and don’t want to miss a post, you can sign up below this post to get them delivered straight to your inbox for free every week.

→ Fear & Self-Doubt, Motivational Powwow
3 Comments

03/19/13

What are you really selling?

You probably think you’re selling an online course on how to incorporate healthier eating habits into your life.

Or you probably think you’re teaching people how to write their own website copy.

Or maybe… you think you’re selling an ebook on how to find more clients.

I can confidently tell you that what you think you’re selling isn’t what you’re actually selling.

[ tweet this ]

 

The entrepreneur selling an online course on how to incorporate healthier eating habits into your life is ACTUALLY selling self-beauty and self-acceptance. Their selling the benefits of the product, not the features. They’re helping you feel great, feel healthy, look good, and be more confident in public.

The entrepreneur teaching people how to write their own website copy is ACTUALLY selling the ability to express yourself through the written word so that you can turn the right people into your raving fans. Again, the benefits of the service… not the features.

The entrepreneur selling an ebook on how to find more clients is ACTUALLY selling financial freedom and business confidence. Once again, they’re selling the benefits of find more clients, not the features (how they’ll actually find more clients).

Here’s an example that we can all relate to:

whatyoureactuallyselling

See the pattern? Fantastic! Let’s move on.

Okay, that’s great Amanda, but how do I apply this to my business?

I hear you. Here’s what you should look at first:

  1. Start by looking through your current offerings. Take note of how you’ve been presenting these offerings to your community. Are you focusing more on the features and steps rather than the emotional connections that you can and should be making with your perfect clients.
  2. Ask yourself this question: What is it that my customers actually want from my offerings? What benefits are they looking for? What outcome are they looking for? What return on their investment are they hoping for?
  3. Re-work your offerings, your copy, your website. Start with the benefits of each offering, followed by the features and how it’s going to work. It helps to start by relating with your people and acknowledging how they feel at this moment. Then, tell them why your offering

This is a great exercise for those who have offerings that are moving like molasses off the virtual shelves.

It’s a great practice to take a step back and look at why your offerings aren’t selling like you had hoped. How are you positioning your products? Are your services telling people what they could gain after working with you? The fears that they can finally alleviate? The goals that they can finally cross of their lists?

Want some help clarifying what you’re actually selling so that you can relate to your client’s on a much deeper level?

I work through this process with my Sweet Spot Session clients and it’s proven to be one of the most important exercises, because once you can correctly identify what you’re actually selling, you can see your offerings through your client’s eyes – an invaluable tool to creating offerings that actually SELL!

I’ve got spots open for May 2013. You can find out more here and book a free 15 min. call with me, if you’d like.

→ Business Smackdown, Programs & Products, Selling Yourself
Leave a comment

03/12/13

Knowing your WHY can bring clarity, stop comparison, and build trust.

startwithwhy-image

I’ve been reading Start With Why by Simon Sinek.

My biggest takeaway & the most important thing I want you to understand:

Understanding WHY you do what you do is the answer to understanding what you do and how you do it.

If you don’t know WHY, decisions become harder to make, consistency staggers and you are obsessed with what the people around you are doing.

When you understand your WHY:

  • decisions will be based on your WHY
  • your brand message will be consistent
  • you’ll understand your bigger purpose and do anything to reach it
  • you’ll understand that it’s about your customers… not you
  • you’re no longer concerned about the competition
  • you don’t believe in competition, you believe in community

It’s liberating, actually.

 

My Why: To empower, inspire and lead young creative women to start & build the business of their dreams, challenge the status quo and live a more free lifestyle.

After you understand your WHY, you’ll be able to clearly state HOW you’re going to do it and WHAT you do.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend digging more into this topic:

What is your WHY?

Tell me in the comments below!

→ Building a Brand, Start With You, Your Brand Blueprint
8 Comments

03/05/13

5 ways to make your blog work for you (not the other way around).

I know how hard and time-consuming it may seem to keep up a blog every week.

In fact, most people I know try to post EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Crazy, right?

The consistency of your posts all depends on the industry you’re in and the quality of your content. Don’t feel like you have to blog every single day. I make sure I post about once a week, and I make sure that the content quality is much higher.

Besides how often you should post, there are some things you can do to make your blog work for you & not the other way around.

5-ways-to-make-your-blog-work-for-you

01. Write original content.

I know that there was an awesome infographic on another site that you just HAD to share, but share it on social media – not your website.

You want to draw people to your blog for your own original content, not for someone else’s content. (Unless it’s a guest post, but even then it should still be original content).

This is the number one thing you can do to build your own expertise and value, and is the reason that people will continue to come back.

02. Use your own voice.

Don’t sound corporate if you’re not corporate.

Have a hard time transferring your talking voice into your writing voice? Hire a writing coach to help, take a course, practice, practice, practice.

Your voice is your personality, and it’s what it going to make you stand out in a crowded online world. Let your readers get to know the real you, and don’t worry if some people don’t like they way you talk. Let them go elsewhere, because for everyone who doesn’t like you, there’s a whole group of people that love you.

03. Use an editorial calendar.

Ever sit there on a Sunday night trying to think of something to write for your Monday blog post? What happens is you end up writing a half-assed blog post, because you didn’t give yourself enough time to think about the subject, brainstorm and pull your best ideas together. Instead you slapped something together and hit publish. A couple of days later, you think of something that you should have talked about that would’ve made so much more sense.

Enter an editorial calendar. It will keep your blog post ideas together in one place so that you can go to the list, choose one that feels inspiring and write.

04. Include visuals.

I know that we aren’t all designers that can put together a mean moodboard, but I also know that we own a computer and can Google just about anything in the world.

Even if your visual is a nice piece of stock photography that relates to the topic, it’s better than nothing. Here are two reasons why:

  1. It allows people to pin your content.
  2. Humans are visual creatures – especially if you’re dealing with right-brain individuals.

Also, just a pet peeve of mine – make your images as wide as your post content. I can’t stand it when I’m reading through an awesome article and then all of a sudden, there’s an image smack dab in the middle of the post way smaller than everything else. It just throws of the eye and it’s not nice.

This doesn’t mean that you should make the photos larger, because that will just make them grainy. Instead, left align the image and have your text wrap around it. Much prettier than a centered image floating around.

05. Include a call-to-action (tell them what to do next).

Readers want to be told what to do next. If you don’t tell them what to do, chances are that they won’t do a damn thing. ( Tweet This )

Here are a few things you could have them do (definitely not all of the things, but some of the most common that I use):

  1. Sign up for your email list (even better if you offer them a freebie of sorts and give them a reason to sign up).
  2. Check out your signature offering (if the post relates to the signature offering).
  3. Download a worksheet and take action.
  4. Interact and share the post on social media (make it easy for them to share on social media by include “Tweet This” links within your posts or a sharing widget somewhere on your blog).

Like this content?

Sign up below this post and you’ll get immediate access to my resource library, including my new book, The Top 5 Things Most Solopreneurs Are Doing Wrong. Go on, do it… I know you wanna!

Oh, and if you’re feeling really inspired, leave me a comment below.

Tell me your biggest struggle and pain point when it comes to writing for your blog. I respond to most comments (that need responding to), so feel free to ask any questions!

→ Blogging, Building Your Biz, E-Newsletters & Email Lists
5 Comments

03/03/13

Soundbite Sunday / 01

Alert. Alert!

New series…

It’s short, simple & sweet. 

It’s Soundbite Sundays.

A new quote and Pin-worthy image every Sunday.

Read it, share it & remember it.

But most of all, enjoy, my friends!

 

SS-1

→ Soundbite Sundays
Leave a comment