Many solo professionals struggle with the discipline to maintain effective new business strategies relying instead on referrals. There is a better way to build your new business chops.

Building your business is a process not an event. It will always involve change. Many factors drive that change– new opportunities, bigger ideas, even a competitor’s threat to a your core business. To grow your business, it might be tempting to copy the success of others. In this podcast,you'll learn why this is not a useful strategy.

Building your business is a process not an event.
It will always involve change.  Many factors drive that change– new opportunities, bigger ideas, even a competitor’s threat to a your core business. Most change that occurs within an organization (or yourself for that matter) is usually driven by external influences (fear), and rarely is initiated through forethought (inspiration).

If your entrepreneurial business involves many competitors, much of what you currently provide may be perceived by clients as less differentiated, in abundant supply, and consequently, less valuable. Naturally it’s tempting to respond to this by changing something.  It’s only logical to assume that maybe you can duplicate success by copying the attributes, features or capabilities of what’s working for others.  The sobering truth is this tactic will not sustain real growth in your business, or add more value to your clients.  In the long-run, you’ll only contribute to the sameness and doom your business to the slush pile.

We adapt by copying others.

Social observer and author, Mark Earls demonstrates the simple fact that humans have largely evolved by copying others. For thousands of years, humans have adapted through a  “do what works” mentality. In fact, Earls points out “copying is our species’ number one learning and adaptive strategy.” The temptation to copy what works is…well– very tempting.  Here’s why:

It’s easier and less risky to copy what works than to invent more value.

Humans have always sought the safety and security of the known, and avoided the risk of the unknown. When it comes to most businesses, the majority of change is really just copied from what came before, or from what’s influencing the the status quo.  The gravity of the urgent (get more clients, cash flow) seems stronger than creating greater value (inventing new stuff that serves people).

Seemingly, the more success that you may copy, the more your business becomes the same– the result is your diminishing power and influence in the buying cycle with your prospective clients. Let that not be your business!

Your business must stand for something.

I’ve said this before; your business must matter to people, but not to everybody. There is no competitive advantage in doing what others do, or have done before. The idea that you promise your clients a “total solution” is just another way of saying your business doesn’t stand for anything. Get your business (what matters to you) to be what matters to your clients (serves their growth and success).

Don’t confuse value creation with copying success.

The key to your business growth (bigger fees, better clients) is to focus your business development strategies on attracting and serving only those clients who demonstrate they value what you provide, engage with you, and in doing so, share their good fortune in working with you to others. Copy that formula and you can change the world.

Authors Note: This post is an edited version of a post I created for the Influence by Design blog. In that article, the focus was on building identity strategies that are highly differentiated from the clutter in our current marketplace. Marketers are always copying the success of others as a proven method to sell more stuff. In the long run, most marketing just adds to the clutter.

The best way to competition-proof your creative business is to create loyal clients. Loyal clients are the ones who believe they are receiving more compelling value doing business with you as opposed to your competition, and they wouldn’t think of working with anyone else.  The marketplace will reward those who earn and deserve, never because they desire or need.  Do you deserve your client’s loyalty?

The word “deserve” comes from the latin “de serve” which simply means to serve. You only deserve any result you desire from your client when you are serving them with commitment to create more value for them then you are receiving in cash from them. Think about this.  This is an important principle in creating raving loyal clients. This does not mean that you work for less money. On the contrary, it means that whatever the amount of money you are paid, you always provide more “use value” than the cash value received.

If you’re in a creative business selling your talent, knowledge, and expertise you might ask yourself, do I deserve the fees I charge? Am I fee-worthy?  Do my clients perceive my value to them as greater than the money they are paying me?  Providing deliverables aligned to your client’s expectation is not enough to deserve their on-going loyalty. All your competitors can provide acceptable deliverables.  Doing what is expected is not enough to differentiate you from the other alternatives available to your client. You can provide more. Here are several suggested ideas for you to think about:

Loyalty in client relationships is never static.

Think of creating loyalty the same way you would think of physical exercise.  The more your focus is on finding ways to serve your clients the stronger the relationship will be. It’s an on-going process. Nothing strengthens without effort. Stop exercising and things eventually will begin to go downhill fast. Everyone has heard the expression “familiarity breeds contempt”.  This basically means the longer a relationship exists, the more things begin to be taken for granted. The more a client feels you are in “relationship entitlement mode”, the more open to options they will become.  Let that not be you!

It’s all about them–never you.

It’s easy to get caught up in the method, details and minutia of doing the work you’re hired to do. It’s even easier to let your thinking go somewhere in the direction of “they can’t get this kind of quality, price or  delivery from anyone else. We’re doing a big favor working for them”.  Obviously that kind of shortsightedness will never create a loyal client who will sing your praises to others.  To deserve loyal clients, your focus will always be on your client’s desire, never yours.  If you take care of creating value for your clients, your value to them increases accordingly. Do the unexpected, go the extra mile!  Do this with grace and humility. You’re in business to create success for others first. Everything after that will take care of itself.

Be trustworthy.

This may sound like an over simplification, however when a client shares something of a personal nature with you, they are essentially saying “I trust you”.  In order for trust to be deserved, demonstrate your sensitivity to “moments of truth” when your client shares something of personal importance. Your best client relationships, the ones that are of greatest value to the growth of your business, are the ones where you are trusted.  Respond with your thoughtful consideration and respect. Over time, you are building your relationship chemistry– the core elements that comprise the essence of how valuable you are to them, and their loyalty to you. It begins with trust.

Be everything to a few people.

Not all your clients will be of the kind where loyalty can grow. Some client relationships are transactional. You really can’t be all things to all clients, it’s absurd to even try. Be selective by cultivating deeper relationships with those clients who empower you, respect your contributions, and refer you to others in their circle of influence.

Take some time to think about the factors that have comprised your most successful client relationships. When you have defined those attributes, look into your current list of clients. How many are fulfilling that criteria right now?  If there are clients who are no longer a good fit, respectfully disassociate from them. Establish the “rules of engagement” for your new clients early in the game. This creates immediate respect not only from clients, but for yourself. After all, if you don’t demonstrate a respectful value for yourself, why should anyone else?

Scarcity creates abundance.

As you continually evolve and grow in your business, you will no doubt be reminded of one of the fundamental principles in economics–supply and demand.  The supply is your “availability”. Clients  provide the “demand” by requesting your expertise. Your supply of time is finite. Excess demand creates competition among your clients for your time. By limiting your availability (supply) you are in effect creating more demand for your time and perceived value.  In doing this, you differentiate between clients who deserve more of your time and the ones who want it. People typically want more of what they can’t have.  Say no to those clients who demand more of your time than they contribute to your growth. By employing the scarcity principle you create more supply and increase demand from more empowering and deserving clients.

As you can see there is great deal of difference between deserving success and desiring it. You can only get your business to the next level when you develop the conscious mental habits that vibrate to the universe that you are enlightened and ready to receive the loyal clients you inherently deserve. You can take the first step.

What are you doing right now that is creating the loyal clients you deserve?

Please share your thoughts in the comments box below.

With our economy still uncertain, now is the perfect time to think about a brand new you. Or more to the point–a new brand: YOU! That’s right–you are a brand!

Marketers spend billions of dollars each year managing the perception of their brands in the hearts and minds of their customers. In good times and bad, marketers strive to harness the power of perception to influence behaviors and turn prospects into customers. Brands connect with us on deep emotional levels. The sum total of a customer‘s perception and experiences with a product, company or service is called a brand. You can and should think of yourself, your talent, and your capability in the same way.

Like a brand, the manner in which you “face the world” represents attributes about who you are, what you do and how you do it. People around you are constantly in an emotional state of connecting (or not) to these attributes. Your spouse, family, boss, colleagues, friends, and your community at large, (we call these customers of your personal brand) are experiencing some aspect of what your brand promises them. In marketing parlance, we call this brand experience.

In these uncertain times, my suggestion is for you to take a good hard look at what your brand represents. Are you an established leading brand, an innovative up-and-coming-brand, or a me-too discount brand thrown in the slush pile at the dollar store?

A new brand YOU–is up to you.

You have an identity, a persona, a unique way of being in the world. You also have expertise, skill and talents that add value to people. To build a strong and influential brand called YOU, you need to be clear about who you are, what value you offer people, and why what you offer is important to people (customers).

Like a brand, you will represent something meaningful beyond money-making. You will have a solid value system that guides your important decisions. You will make a promise of value that people need fulfilled, and you will deliver in accordance to your values. Or, stated another way, you keep your promises. As a result, your brand will be highly trusted and valued by people who sing your praises to others in their circle.

A positive perception of your brand (you) is your biggest asset. As you grow the influence of your brand, your brand equity (the sum total of your good will) grows accordingly. There are three main components that comprise your brand. Like three legs of a stool, they must be in harmonious alignment. Let‘s look closer:

Brand Identity
This is who you are, what values you represent, your heritage, your story, what you are called, and how you represent yourself in visible form.  Think about this for a minute. What is your brand identity? What do you stand for and represent? What makes you –you? Is your identity in the world aligned with your purpose? Are you true to yourself? Your brand identity, when properly positioned in the minds of your tribe, distinguishes you from others. Your identity makes you unique and therefore special.

Brand Utility
This is what you do, your expertise and capability, your product, the thing you do to create value for people. Value creation is the foundation of a brand‘s utility. Think about how you might continuously improve your product (you) to create more value for the people in your life (customers).

Brand Promise
This is what customers (people in your life) believe their benefits are in associating with your brand. It is your unique value proposition to your customers.  Think about your brand promise. What value can you create for people? Do you over promise and under deliver?

When customers, (people in your life) think of your brand (you), naturally you want it to be uplifting and inspiring. When these three components of your brand are all in sync, you will have created a compelling, consistent and positive set of thoughts and associations in your customer‘s minds. In marketing speak; we call this “brand image”. Conversely, when these components are not in sync, the components still form themselves into a perception in people’s minds –it’s just not a positive one.

When customers (people in your life) have positive associations with your brand over time, you will have earned “brand equity“ the power within you to influence others and make bigger things happen in life that you desire. Only then will you own the influence to shift demand for your offerings toward you, because you are providing greater value for all concerned. Your brand is the foundation on which your dreams and desires in life are built. I‘ll leave you to ponder this question:

What great work truly matters to you?

When you discover the answer, build and strengthen the components of your brand‘s promise in that direction. Begin today!