The Desert of Arizona
Sunny 64 Degrees
I grew up in a little town in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
I didn’t grow up on a farm, but I grew up close to a lot of them. Some were Amish, many were not.
On the days they did the manure spreading, well… it’s an experience that really brings you back into the moment, I’ll tell you that. Same thing with driving past a chicken farm. We had a lot of those around too. It’s something you never forget.
Somehow, I got out of Lancaster County with the worst “green thumb” I know. (OK, maybe my wife’s is worse. Sorry!) So as far as tending to my own garden… well, I’m clearly not the most talented in that department.
When it comes to growing clients, however, it’s a different story.
Most people think about “getting” clients…
Some people think about “attracting” clients…
I think the most powerful way to look at it is in terms of “growing” clients.
Just think about the energetic signature of “getting.” You want it, you’re going to get it. You might be obvious and upfront about it, or you might be more subtle. The approach doesn’t change the underlying motivation. You want something from them. Unfortunately, your prospective clients couldn’t care less about what you want.
If you’ve ever tried this approach of “getting,” people can feel it. They might not say it, or even be aware of it, but it’s there. If you’re going for “expert” status, I’d recommend you steer clear of this approach.
Now move on to the energetic signature of “attraction.” That’s far better. A big step in the right direction, actually. But I’m not sure it really describes the process as clearly as we need so you’re clear about what to do.
Growing, on the other hand, is pretty darn clear.
Growing anything requires YOU to do certain things to GET certain things.
It’s not manipulative. Quite the opposite. You have to invest first. That’s just how it works. If you don’t “care” properly for what you’re growing, it dies. Growing requires offering a certain kind of value FIRST.
Here’s the magic that comes with growing. When you do YOUR part right, the plant just grows. Have you ever TRIED to grow something? Trying doesn’t really help. You either give it what it needs or you don’t. From there, the plant just takes care of the rest.
This is just like what happens when you grow a client using a SYSTEM (I’d recommend the Platform approach). You provide the inputs. This is ideal because it is something that is 100% under your control.
With enough of the right inputs, clients grow beautifully.
And when they’re “ready,” you end up getting inquiries that start like, “I already know I want to work with you, let’s just figure out how…”
If that’s not what you’re getting, you need to change what you’re using to grow your clients.