Cathy Stucker - The Idea Lady

Attract Customers and Make Yourself Famous

Do You Have an Up to Date Website?

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When people are looking for information online, they want to know that they are finding new and correct information. If your site does not send the right signals, they will be gone and on to the next site.

Here are a few things you can do to make sure you have an up to date website.

First, check the copyright date. I was on sites this week that had copyright dates of 2008, 2005, 2003 and even 1999. When I see an out of date copyright notice I wonder: (1) Are these people still in business? and (2) When did they last touch this site? I do not trust the information I find there if it looks like the website may not have been updated in years.

Tip: If your site has been around for a while, show an inclusive copyright date. For example, at IdeaLady.com, my copyright says, “Copyright 1998 – (the current year).” And it always shows the correct current year because a script changes the date automatically when a new year begins.

Show the date the site was last updated. Some website software will do this automatically, or you may be able to insert some code to make it do so. Of course, this is only effective if you…

Update your site regularly. Make sure your contact data, location, hours and other information are correct. Do you have new products, or have you discontinued some old ones? Make your site reflect that. And you should frequently add new content to your site, such as articles, tips, special offers, etc.

When someone visits your site, they will see that your business has a vital online presence, and that is sure to make a good impression.

Show Your Stuff with a Portfolio

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Artists and designers use portfolios to show examples of their work to potential clients and employers. Portfolios are not only for artists, however. No matter what your business, a portfolio can show off your skills and accomplishments and help you to gain customers.

Artist portfolios are typically displayed in oversized cases or binders. You may use a traditional artist’s portfolio, a three-ring binder, a scrapbook, or any method that shows off your portfolio contents. Craft stores carry a full line of special papers and other materials to dress up your portfolio.

You can put your portfolio online at your Web site. Your online portfolio should not just be a copy of the hardcopy version. Use the capabilities of the Web to include audio, video and interactivity.

What should you put in a portfolio? That depends on the nature of your business, but it might include

Examples of successful projects, such as photos, drawings, documents, product samples and other documentation.

Photos of you in action—doing your job, making a speech, and working with your staff. Or photos of your office, your facility, your equipment and your products.

Letters of commendation or client testimonials. Include audio or video testimonials in your online portfolio.

Press clippingsarticles you’ve written, articles about you, reviews, quotes from you in the press, etc. Or publicity that your clients got because of you or your work. For your Web site, include PDFs of the stories, or link to the online versions.

Don’t forget broadcast media appearances. Include a list of television and radio shows on which you have been a guest, perhaps with a photo of you from a television appearance. Include audio and video clips from some of the shows on your Web site.

Professional certificationsdiplomas, licenses, certificates, and other credentials. These all help to establish your credibility.

Awards you have won. Include a list of awards, certificates received, photos of trophies or you accepting an award, etc.

Color print outs of one or more pages from your Web site.

Covers of the books, booklets and audio programs you have published.

Photos of you with famous clients or associates, especially if the person is a leader in your field.

Examples of your involvement in the community. Photos of your participation in a charity event, thank you letters and certificates from organizations, and photos of the local sporting teams you sponsor demonstrate your commitment to the community.

Now, how do you use your portfolio? Leave it out on a table in your office (open, of course!) for visitors to view. Show it to potential clients. Frame duplicates of some items to hang on your office walls. Include portions of the portfolio in proposals.

Come Up with Creative Names

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Your business and product names are an important part of your business identity and marketing. Good names create an aura of exclusivity and entice clients by promising benefits. Good names market for you.

Do you have a hard time coming up with names? Perhaps you called your business ABC Enterprises, because you couldn’t think of anything else. What does that name say about you and what you do? Absolutely nothing. It doesn’t tell customers why they would want to do business with you, because they have no idea what it is that you do, or who you do it for.

Here’s my favorite way to come up with a name. I call it “Idea Storming.”That is a name I created to describe one of my consulting services. Brainstorming has been done to death. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt from the seminar. Idea Storming puts a different spin on it. You recognize the concept, but it has a different name, and it ties to my Idea Lady identity. See how it works?

I help my clients to Idea Storm, but here’s how you can do it on your own. Get a piece of paper and a pen, or use your computer. Write down every word or phrase you can think of to describe your business. What do you do? Who are your clients? What results do you get for them? What words would your clients use to describe what you do? How would they describe the feeling they got doing business with you? Why is your business better than others?

Scan books and magazine articles for words and phrases that jump off the page at you. Talk to friends and associates, and get them to Idea Storm with you. Ask customers to describe what you do.

Make a nice, long list, then keep going. Get out your thesaurus (or use the one in your word processor) to come up with words with meanings similar to what you wrote down. There is a great online tool to identify synonyms at http://www.visualthesaurus.com/. There is a subscription charge, but you can try it for free.

Now, take your list and start combining the words and phrases. Take this word and add it to that one. Use this phrase, but substitute that word. Take pieces of two words and make a brand new word. Your goal is to come up with words and phrases that effectively convey the unique benefits you provide to customers.

I’ve used this method to come up with lots of names and titles over the last few years. Another great benefit of Idea Storming is that even the words and phrases you don’t use in your name can be used in a slogan, on your business cards, in sales letters, in brochures and in other marketing materials.

This technique is simple, but it really works. Try it the next time you launch a new product.

How Likable Are You?

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People buy from people they like. That seems obvious, doesn’t it? When people have a choice of where to take their business (as they usually do) they will choose to spend their money with the company or person that makes them feel good. 

When customers like you, they are not only more likely to buy from you—they are also more likely to recommend you to friends and associates. Use the following ideas to increase your likeability quotient.

Look like your customers. This can be as simple as dressing in a style similar to your customers. When it is not appropriate to dress like your customers, dress in a style that makes them comfortable. A massage therapist who wears a white lab coat or similar uniform enhances her image as a professional and reminds clients that they are in capable hands.

Listen to customers. People like to talk about themselves, and they feel good when they know someone is truly listening. Show that you are listening by asking appropriate questions and responding to what customers say.

Make connections. Showing a genuine interest in your customers’ lives can help you find areas of common ground. Do you share a hobby or interest? Look for clues to areas where you may have something in common.

Validate customers. Comment approvingly about the customer’s selection. Acknowledge their expertise. Express respect for their opinions, concerns and objections. Make them feel important.

Compliment customers. A genuine compliment will go a long way toward building rapport. Even if customers know that you are going out of your way to compliment them, or they do not believe the compliment, the compliment will still give them positive feelings about you.

Be nice to their children. Consider your customers’ children to be extensions of them. How you treat their children will affect how they feel about you. Talk to the children, laugh at their jokes and be friendly. Have games or other activities available to entertain children while their parents meet with you.

Be nice to their pets. Does it make you feel good when the teller at the bank drive-through offers a treat to your dog? Sure! Pets are members of the family, too.

Make the buying experience pleasant. Events work because they create a sense of fun and excitement. Although you may not be able to make every day an event, you can make it relaxed and enjoyable. Have a comfortable area for shopping or waiting. Offer coffee and soft drinks when customers have to wait. Have current magazines in the waiting area. Play music.

Say thank you. It is simple, but many skip this step. Say thank you at the time of purchase. Follow up with a handwritten note. Say thank you before the sale. Thank a customer for viewing a demonstration. And do not forget to thank anyone who refers new business to you.

Making an effort to make customers feel relaxed and happy will pay off in increased sales and referrals. And it will make you feel good, too.

Selling Dreams

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What are you really selling? When you sell dreams you attract customers who want to share the dream.

Gian Luigi Longinotti-Buitoni was the CEO of Ferrari North America. He wrote a book called Selling Dreams: How to Make Any Product Irresistible wherein he coined the term “dreamketing.” While the word does not trip easily off the tongue, it does create an image of what many successful companies do.

Selling Dreams addresses how sellers of luxury goods (Ferrari, Ferragamo, Sotheby’s, Hermes, et al) attract customers by selling the dream. You can buy a car for less than $20,000. When you spend many times that amount for a Ferrari, you’re buying more than a car; you’re buying a dream.

You’re probably not selling anything in the price range of a Ferrari, so what can you learn from this book? Well, see if you can apply these principles:

Companies should create products and services designed to convey intense emotions. People don’t buy for simply intellectual reasons, they buy when there is an emotional connection. How can you reach your customers’ emotions? Create images for them (in words or pictures) so they can see themselves successfully using your product or service. Go beyond the functionality to how they will FEEL.

Take every opportunity to magnify your customer’s perception of added value. Sell the dream.

The dreamketer should ensure that all forms of customer relations consistently support the mission to build the dream in the customer’s mind. Stage events to build the dream. Advertise and promote in support of the dream image. Use publicity to create the aura you want for your product or service. Keep in touch with your customers in support of the dream. 

The subtitle of “Selling Dreams” is How to Make Any Product Irresistible. So, what about those of you (such as consultants, coaches, writers, etc.) who ARE the product? How do make yourself irresistible? One way is to show how you are living the dream you are selling. Give customers a mind picture of how they can have a life like yours, and what that will be like for them.

Give yourself an aura. Build your image and credibility. Techniques such as publicity, speaking, publishing, etc. will both demonstrate your abilities, and create a celebrity image for you, making you part of the dream.

Value yourself. After all, if you don’t understand what you’re worth, how will you ever communicate your value to anyone else?