The Desert of Arizona
Sunny 55 Degrees
I can’t think of too many service providers who actually have a full blown “not enough clients” problem. Some, but not most.
Having fewer clients or lower quality clients than you would like is not the problem, it’s a symptom.
The problem is a lack of lead flow. It’s a lack of choice. It’s a lack of options for you to choose the best.
Thinking you have a client problem when you really have a lead flow problem is like talking but putting the accent on the wrong syll-AB-le of each word.
I talk a LOT about building a Platform. I think it’s a rather timeless model that is going to work forever. You can’t really go wrong helping people, showing them they can trust you, and all the other things a Platform does.
If you’ve been reading this letter for a while and still don’t have a Platform, I figure one of five things could be true:
- You aren’t paying attention.
- You don’t believe me.
- You aren’t interested in anything that remotely resembles work.
- You aren’t clear on how to move forward.
- You are just plain scared that it’s not going to work or that no one will like it once they find out about the REAL you.
You lose no matter which of those five things might be true. And unfortunately, there’s only one of those items I can help you with. I can offer you clarity, because that’s what I’m on this planet to do. But I can’t do it all for you.
And until that Platform gets off the ground, you can’t move on to STEP 2.
You mean there’s more work? Of course there is 🙂
Once you have that built, you actually have to feed it. And here’s where we get to the challenge.
Not all Platforms eat the same type of food. For some, writing a real book and getting it published could feed the platform for years. For others, Facebook® advertising is a much smarter way to go. For others, negotiating a syndicated column on some website or in a magazine or industry journal is worth the effort.
Everyone has a different answer. But that answer isn’t worth figuring out until you can insure the work won’t be wasted.
Generating leads without a Platform to convert those leads is just crazy. Maybe it’s NOT crazy when you’re selling $20 trinkets, but when you’re selling services, and expensive services, it’s just nuts.
Get your Platform (I’m teaching this next week!), feed your Platform, watch your “client problems” disappear.