I’m There For You

February 23, 2012
Sedona, Arizona

Another one of my deep dark secrets is going to come out today.

I think Seinfeld is one of the greatest shows ever invented.

If you’re too young to even know what Seinfeld is, then thanks. Now I know exactly how my parents felt when they talked about Archie Bunker.

If you have no idea who Jerry Seinfeld or Archie Bunker are, let’s just move on and pretend that paragraph never happened.

In one particular Seinfeld episode, there’s a running joke about how to swoop in and catch a jilted man or woman on the rebound from a break-up.

First, you tell them that you’re “there for them…” Just in case they need something.

That soon transitions into telling them that you’re just, “There…”

And pretty soon, you make your move and replace their ex.

I got an email recently that reminded me just how ineffective this “I’m there for you” strategy is when you’re trying to get clients.

The email was from a professional service provider basically asking why she was struggling to get clients. She had tried all of the recommended marketing ideas, but when she called her prospects to ask if they needed anything, they’d give her a polite “No.”

If the best you can do is contact your clients and tell them that you’re there just in case they need anything… well, you’re not going to have much success.

“Hey, I’m just contacting you to see if you need anything.”

If they needed something they’d call you. It’s human nature. People go after what they want.

The “there for you strategy” is not a smart way to get clients. I know I’m being subtle here 🙂 but hopefully this point is clear.

First, a weak strategy like this is not going to work very often. But even worse than that is if it actually does work, then you’re stuck with a client that you basically strong-armed (or just annoyed) into submission.

What do you think that does to their perception of you?

What do you think that does to the size of your fees?

This is bass ackwards marketing and you deserve better than that.

Never forget, you don’t get clients, you attract them.

If you’re not attracting them (which means they are asking for the sale), then you’ve got room for improvement.

If you’re doing something like this, then hopefully today’s email either gives you some better ideas or it makes you so annoyed that you storm off and find some on your own.

What’s a better way to attract clients?

Here’s an idea to consider:

FIRST, get very clear on the problems that you solve for your clients. These are problems they have to know they have.

SECOND, start sending them marketing that moves them one step closer to solving those problems.

In other words, make your marketing valuable.

So if you write a newsletter, give them tips for solving these problems. If you send out book reviews, choose books that talk about solving these problems. If you make videos… you know the drill. Heck, you can even just make your marketing entertaining. There’s value in that too.

If you’re going to get clients to call you, then you have to figure out a way to be useful to them before they hire you.

This is why referrals are so valuable. When someone recommends you to a colleague they generally do so as a proposed solution to a specific problem.

You become useful in that instance because of the hope you give to the prospect that they can solve their problem.

You see why this is powerful?

If you’re trying to get clients the bass ackwards way, today is the day to see the light and starting walking towards it.

See you next time,

Jason Leister
Editor, The Client Letter
Creating Success for Independent Professionals
ClientsSuck.net