Tired of Competing on Price? Try charging the Highest Prices in your Field – THEN EARN THEM! Here’s how…

Too many service providers try to grow their business by continuously focusing on price – in fact FOCUSED on convincing the market that they are indeed the Low Price Leader…

LEADER?

How in the world can someone claim to be the LOW PRICE LEADER. Doesn’t the very fact that they claim to be the lowest price in the market mean that they have researched the market and RESPONDED? And isn’t responsive positioning in the marketplace a textbook trait of a FOLLOWER rather than a LEADER?

By definition, leaders LEAD.

And that means finding that pricing that will allow you to provide the absolute BEST level of support within your market and educating the marketplace as to why it is in their best interests to retain you at a clear premium.

Join Kelly and Kevin THIS Thursday, February 4^th on a free telecall where they will teach you how it’s actually EASIER to bypass the ‘Slow Growth’ phase of your business and GO BIG right NOW! This is the ULTIMATE Success Shortcut and we’re gonna share the details with you on this FREE Call. It happens at 1 PM PT (2 PM MT, 3 PM CT, 4 PM ET) Click Here to Register!

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You have heard me say it a million times.  There is almost nothing more important to your affluent clients than exceptional service.  VIP Customer service and client appreciation campaigns can transform your clients into raving fans who build your business for you.

Here are the three pivotal steps to creating that result.

1. VIP Customer Service From The First Moment They Encounter Your Company
2. Systemized and Personalized Client Appreciation Campaigns to Build Loyalty
3. Systemized Client Referral Programs

The key to profitability and success rests in a company’s ability to differentiate itself from its competitors through creating a world class customer experience. The greatest missed opportunity for most companies is in creating more profitability from the customers they already have versus consistently replacing lost customers with new ones.

While a growing business needs to constantly capture new customers, the focus and priority should be on pleasing your existing customer base and growing your profitability through them.

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There was a teenage boy on the corner near my favorite grocery store.  He had a sign that asked for money so he could go to his prom. Now, my head told me he should really try getting a minimum-wage job at that grocery store right around the corner instead of asking for handouts. My gut told me otherwise. When I asked him why he was doing this he said that he was already working two jobs and that his parents were both laid off and he had taken his money he had saved and put it toward his SATs.   I have to tell you; I gave him $20.  Is it possible he was making it up..yes, but my gut told me otherwise.  And frankly, I thought it was brilliant that he had the courage to go out and ask for what he wanted.    I appreciate that he was “working” toward an end goal and his story had emotionality to it, which appealed to me.  You’ll see a lot of the panhandlers who communicate their story in a similar such way.  It’s these folks that you may be able to relate to because their story touches you in some way.  Importantly, you’ll notice that their story ISN’T based on price.

In business, this story is your brand and in order to relate to your potential clients, you need a compelling and relatable hook with emotionality that connects them to you. Just like in the story above, the brand of your company should reflect the personality and character of the product or service it provides, both physically and emotionally. The image you are aiming for makes your product or service more desirable than your competitors’.  Your brand image should be trying to meet your affluent target customer’s expectations, needs and aspirations, it is important to try and reflect exactly what they are looking for.

Now is the time to take these lessons to heart.  Do NOT settle for less than what you want and deserve. Decide now to create the results you desire, design your plan accordingly and then focus your passion and aspirations on success!

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Would you believe it if I told you that many clients come to me earning incomes less than $50K?  Here is what baffles me…passionate and brilliant entrepreneurs who are putting everything they have into their businesses are choosing to settle for earnings less than a panhandler.

As I previously mentioned, a recent article* indicates that an active panhandler in the city can earn $50,000 on average (tax-free). Here is an important take-away we might all want to consider in our business and in our lives:  You must ask for money.

Do you think the people on the street are embarrassed or scared to ask for money?  Well maybe they were the first few times they did it.  But now they clearly understand that the only to get what they desire is to ask for it.  So, why would clients pay you premium prices for your services unless you felt you DESERVED and ASKED for it?

In fact, asking the RIGHT price for you services is key, especially for the affluent. When your work costs more, people value it more highly. There are many “bottom feeders” scurrying around to get the cheapest work. If your work costs more (and you deliver more value) it will be worth more to the buyer.

Research shows that many times the affluent buy on prestige.   Prestigious products and services are bought for the image as much as the product itself — and a key component of the image is the price. They are too expensive for most people, ergo the one who can buy them is rich, successful, upper class, elite — or all of the above.

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Would you believe it if I told you that many clients come to me earning incomes less than $50K?  Here is what baffles me…passionate and brilliant entrepreneurs who are putting everything they have into their businesses are choosing to settle for earnings less than a panhandler. According to a recent article*, an active panhandler in the city can earn $50,000 on average (tax-free). It was calculated using survey results which gauged how much and how often the population gives to panhandlers projected across the known panhandling population in the city. Now, I’ll admit, this number may be soft.  Most researchers will agree that respondents often exaggerate how much they contribute to charity. That aside, confidential interviews with panhandlers even back up this number indicating that they make between $35,000 and $100,000 tax free per year and view panhandling as the equivalent of a job or a profession. Clearly, there is something to be learned from results-oriented panhandlers.

The folks earning a sizeable amount of money in this article are consistent in their actions.  They get out there day-in and day-out.  If a location isn’t working, they adjust.  Similarly, you must dedicate yourself to consistent marketing and sales efforts. Jay Conrad Levinson once told me, “It is unfortunate but true that bad marketing done consistently is better than good marketing done inconsistently.” Create consistency in your marketing program and you will create over time, a steady stream of incoming leads, as well as stabilize your revenue generation.

*”Brother Can You Spare $4.6 Million?” by Dave Navelle as published on the BC, Blogcrtics.com

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Without marketing you would not have prospects or leads to follow up with, but yet without a good sales technique and strategy your closing rate may depress you.  Ready yourself to master selling to affluent clients with the last steps of my Sales Mastery for Marketing to MillionairesÔ Blueprint System checklist:

Assemble your sales support tools – Are your tools setting you up for success?  At very least you need a sales kit which is a package of information that talks about your product offerings.

Get in the right mindset – Remember – You are the Expert.  Focus on the solving the prospects problems, not on closing the sale.  So the choice is really yours – you get to decide what type of salesperson you want to be. At the end of the day we all buy the things we need from the people we like and trust.

Make the calls – Now it is time to pick up the phone.

In today’s business climate, there are more hurdles and challenges to obtaining and keeping clients than ever. To obtain and keep clients in this market, businesses need to get “back to basics.” To get back to basics in regards to sales, we must re-establish the fundamental approach of selling. Sales Is a Science – there are methods and processes that if put into practice on a consistent basis will lead to increased business, even in the most challenging of economies.

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In this transitioning economy where many entrepreneurs relied on mass online marketing methods, most are starting to see their revenues plummet.  The reason is simple!  Marketing is not intended to do sales. Without marketing you would not have prospects or leads to follow up with, but yet without a good sales technique and strategy your closing rate may depress you.  Here are 2 more steps to get started mastering sales to the affluent:

Prepare your database – Database sounds like a big and scary word doesn’t it? It’s really not. A database is just the place where you keep track of who, why and when you are going to call people. The best thing is that you don’t even have to know anything about technology to have one. Just use the tools that came with your computer, or sign up for one online, or buy a basic package. It’s not rocket science and anyone can do it.

Prepare your scripts including being prepared to overcome objections – It is often a misunderstanding that people think they need some sort of elaborate script. Simple scripts are always best. You are not the only person calling so you need to be quick and to the point. Step back for a moment and think about the people who call you… how does a lengthy presentation script feel on your end of the phone? Do you even listen or just wait until the end and say politely “I’m not interested.”

Scripts need three basic ingredients:

1. Who are you
2. Why are you calling
3. What is the action you want them to take

Yes, it is really that simple.

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The one area I find that most entrepreneurs are falling down is sales.  There are a lot of reasons for this, but the number one is fear of selling.  Over the next several days, I will post a series outlining my Sales Mastery for Marketing to MillionairesÔ Blueprint System, which can help you master selling to the affluent.  Here are the first two steps to get started:

Step 1:  Be clear on your ideal affluent client profile – A strong sales foundation starts with a strong ideal client profile. Otherwise, you will waste both dollars and time trying to grow your business. In section one of the Marketing to Millionaires™ Blueprint System we provided to you a complete system and templates to identify your ideal affluent client.  Make sure you have done that work, PRIOR to calling anyone.

Step 2:  Schedule consistent time daily or weekly to sell - Nothing is more important when it comes to selling than to manage your time. The most successful sales people set a dedicated time each day (or week) to make the calls. They schedule it on their calendar like any other high value appointment.  Many inexperienced salespeople avoid this discipline to their own demise.

Now it is up to you. To obtain and keep clients in this market, businesses need to get “back to basics.” And there’s nothing more basic than your client: no client, no business.

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How do you plan to create success in 2010?  If you haven’t written down where you want to go, how do you know if you’ll get there?  Ensure you have a clear roadmap in place for what you desire to create and rest assured knowing that the path to success is yours.  The most important way to do this is with a fresh 2010 business plan.

It is easy for entrepreneurs and small business to convince themselves they don’t need to do complex planning, strategy development, or a lot of writing of documents for their business.  In my work, I’m never really surprised by the number of people who don’t have a business plan. I am, however, surprised by the numbers who actually think they don’t need a business plan.  In fact, 99% of small business owners don’t have one.

Without a business plan, they end up spending more time and money while making no significant progress toward their goals.  The critical reasons for a plan in the New Year are two-fold:

1. A comprehensive plan keeps you on track throughout the year.  At critical mid points, ask yourself if you have you completed the tasks necessary to obtain your objectives.
2. A business plan is an imperative tool to train new employees.  Accurate background information, competitive differentiation as well as, forwarding thinking planning objectives allow you to easily level-set your new employees with a complete picture of his/her new employer.

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Most people I talk with are happily ready to close the book on 2009.  By now, we all know the headlines. So rather than focus on the negative, consider this: what are you doing to set your gameplan and prepare to play big in 2010?  In order to create the space you need for success in 2010, you must ensure 2009 is closed in a powerful way.  Two of the most important ways to do so are by wrapping up your books and cleaning up your space.

• Wrap Up Your Books

At the close of the year, it is critical to clean up your financial books and make the necessary strategic decisions to move forward.  I sit down with my CFO for a full day and assess: do we need to make any big capital investments?  Do I need to clear out any outstanding debt?  Is payroll complete and in order so that tax forms are issue in a timely manner? By reviewing your accounting several weeks in advance of January 1, you allow yourself a runway to finalize the year end and make any adjustments to begin 2010 with a clean slate.

• Clean Up Your Space

Make time to clear your space physically so that it reenergizes you mentally. By getting organized, you shift the paradigms and create a new view to let in a tremendous amount of potential for creativity.  Cleaning up your space can mean different thing to different individuals.  Perhaps you need a professional organizer to put your office in order.  Maybe new paint is needed on your office walls.  It may mean taking the time to file away all the paperwork that’s been piling up or even recognizing that a new set of processes and operations are needed to make you and your team work more effectively and efficiently.

Neatly packaging up and putting a bow on 2009 helps you put it to rest and gear up for big things to happen in 2010.  Get ready!!!

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