A colleague on another message board recently asked about metrics – measuring the success of your business by measuring time spent on marketing, time spent on other business activities, time spent with clients, time spent with potential clients, conversion rates, expenses, and of course income. This got me to thinking about another metric to include, and that metric is how much we give.
I believe that how much we give is in direct proportion to how successful we will be. This doesn’t mean we foolishly give away all our time, nor do we give away all our goods. Of course we should be prudent and plan our giving strategy just like we plan our other business strategies.
Have you ever heard a successful business person say they gave away too much? The laws of success and the laws of the universe reward giving, and therefore I purport giving as a powerful business strategy.
Giving gives us these things in return:
- it allows us to gain the attention of those we want to serve
- it allows our potential clients to get to know us, and become more familiar with our offerings
- it develops a favorable impression in our prospects’ and clients’ eyes
- it allows us to develop solid relationships over time
- it allows us to get to know what our potential and existing clients need
- and it tangibly shows that we have the knowledge, expertise, PRODUCTS and SERVICES to meet their needs.
I strongly believe in the principle of GIVE, GIVE, GIVE. Smartly and strategically.
When we give, we serve.
When we serve, we are rewarded – financially and intrinsically.
Do you have a giving strategy?
What do you give and when?
I suggest planning your own giving strategy, and watch what happens. Continually and consistently give value to your prospects and clients with articles, special reports, audio programs, video clips, telecalls, webinars, workshops and “qualified” complimentary consultations.
Plan in advance, perhaps for the entire calendar year, giving something of value to your prospects and clients once or twice per month, and watch your business grow.
Sure, there’s buzz in the industry about “giving it all away”. But honestly, can you “give it all away” in a 500 word article, a 1 hour teleclass or even a 3 hour workshop? Or instead will you educate, compel and draw people to you, and convert more clients?
Try giving, and measure your results. It’s a powerful success metric for your business.
Kim Clausen is the President of Ready2Go Marketing Solutions, Inc., a company that creates ready made workshops, teleseminars, speeches and more to help coaches grow their business. We are a team of experienced training developers, speech writers, copy writers and business development experts whose mission it is to make growing your business much easier, so you can do more of what you love and less of the rest! http://www.Ready2GoMarketingSolutions.com
Great points, Kim. Successful marketing involves service first,
leverage second. Too many coaches try to leverage before they’ve
given enough. Other coaches give indiscriminately and forget to
leverage. There is a sweet spot and getting and staying there is
the art of marketing.