It’s been a really busy and exciting few weeks since we got back from Honeymoon. Not only have I spent lots of time planning all kinds of new ideas and benefits for all our VIP members, but I’ve also discovered a new favourite hobby to fill my spare time… quilting!

If you’ve been following the new series “Kirsty’s Homemade Home” on Channel 4, you’ll have seen her trying all kinds of new crafts. The other week she gave quilting a go and it really intrigued me so suddenly I’ve found myself making a very cute white and duck-egg blue quilt for our bedroom. I’m not convinced I should give up my day job (!) but its a fun way to fill an evening

Hope you’re having a fabulous week. If you’ve discovered any new ideas for building your business (or decorating your home!) do make a comment below so everyone else can benefit too…

Best wishes,

Rebecca

Giving something away for free on your website, is a fantastic way of attracting potential new clients.  Even better is if you require them to give you their contact details in order to get the free thing.  Then you can keep in touch, build a relationship with them and convert them into a long-term, paying client!

You can give anything away, from a free consultation to a free appointment, but the one I suggest is a ‘free report/e-book’ that the potential can just download…

Firstly unlike lots of other things you could use as a carrot to attract them, a report or e-book doesn’t cost you anything at all.  Plus if they are able to enter their name & email onto your site, and then immediately download the report/book, you don’t have to do anything - its all automated.

What type of report or e-book you offer depends on what type of services and treatments you offer.  Something like the following would work really well:
-    If you deal with relieving stress ‘7 top tips for reducing stress’
-    If you do beauty treatments ‘Learn how to look 10 years younger’

You get the idea.

So how does it work?

• You write a free report (or just create one by collating information you’ve already got on the benefits of your services!)
• Advertise the fact you are giving this away for free
• Potential clients go to your site & sign up
• They get the report/book online immediately and automatically
• They get added to your database
• You then you keep in touch via your newsletter and build a relationship with them!

If you don’t have a website or don’t know how to create a box for people to enter their name and email into, there is another way of doing this.  You could just have your email address on your marketing and tell them to email you with ‘free report’ in the subject line.  Then you can email them back the report & add them to your database.

Doing it this way isn’t ideal because you’ll end up spending hours email people, but at least it gives you a way to get started, and build your client list!  Then when you’ve got a larger client list and more income, you could just pay someone to automate the process for you

Benefits of a free e-report or e-book;

• Free.  Doesn’t cost you anything except your time to write the report
• Can be completely automated.  You just send out the marketing advertising it and people will flock to your site to sign up.
• Cause its free, you’ll get lots more sign ups
• You’ll get people from all over the country (or even globe) sign up.  You never know when they might be in the area and want an appointment.  Or what friends they might end up forwarding the emails you send them to.  Or whether they might even mail/internet order your products from you cause you’ve taken the time to build that relationship with them and their local practitioner, therapist, stylist hasn’t.
• Plus since everyone who signs up is being added to your database, your email newsletters will slowly work on converting the prospect to a client so you’ll get a future drip feed of new clients from it.

You may have already thought of this but there is one drawback I must mention… Unlike some other promotion ideas, you aren’t physically seeing the person so you don’t have that critical face-to-face time to convert them to a client.

However this is tempered by the fact that it doesn’t cost you anything in time and your email newsletters will slowly work on converting the prospect to a client so you’ll get a future drip feed of new clients from it!

So what are you waiting for?  Give it a shot and see if it helps you build your client list.  And if you’ve got any ideas that work for you, make a comment below to share them with others!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Kepple specializes in helping business owners massively increase their client base and profits.  To get instant access to her free insider secrets report ‘The Top 7 Secrets for Massively Increasing Your Client Base’ visit: http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/freebiebook.

© Copyright Rebecca Kepple 2009

Want to use this article on your site or in your newsletter?  This article may be reprinted provided no part thereof is edited in any way and this resource box is included.

The Internet and websites really are the hot topics of the moment.  But remember that all of it just boils down to different ideas and ways of promoting yourself and your business.  Which means lots of those ideas for promoting yourself online, will also work in-store or in-salon.

Don’t have a website?  Flummoxed by internet-guru-gobbledegook?

Never fear.  Just take whatever the online marketing idea is and instead of using it on your website, adapt it to use on paper in your salon, clinic, spa or practice.

For example, one of THE most popular ideas for getting new clients from your website is the one we discussed in our most recent VIP class… a free report.  The idea is you create a written report about something interesting your clients would be interested in knowing about then give it away on your website and in exchange get lots of new clients.

The way it works is you require visitors to your site to input their email & name to get access to your free report.  Then once they’ve entered their details they get an email, which tells them the link to download the free report.  Their name & email immediately and automatically goes on your database list for next email newsletter.  You carry on sending out your email newsletters as you usually would with lots more names on your database list.  And ultimately by doing this, you build a relationship with all these new people, then eventually they book in and become a loyal, long term clients!

So how do you use this free report idea offline?  How do you use it over the counter in your business?

Well, sticking with the free report example, you can print it out and physically give it away to clients or new enquiries when they come in.

You can either just print it out on your home computer, or you could pop down the local photocopy store.  You can then just staple the top right corner and hey presto, you’ve got yourself a free report to give away.

By the way, to make it really have the wow impact, you can spiral bind them.  Getting this done in bulk at the photocopy store can cost a bit but buying a spiral binding machine yourself is fairly inexpensive and actually doing the binding is really quick & easy once you get the hang of it!

Then once you’ve got yourself a whole bunch of your reports printed out and bound/stapled together, all that remains is to tell people about it.  You could give one away with every appointment booked?  Or perhaps as a gift with purchase with every product bought?  Or even non-strings-attached simply in return for them filling in a customer survey?

The sky is the limit.  It’s totally up to you how you promote it and how you give it away.  The point is that you can use one of the most popular ways of getting new clients online even if you don’t have a website!

Converting online marketing methods to work for you in your salon, spa, clinic or practice works especially well if a section of your market is people who don’t really use computers.  The vast majority of people have access to a computer now days but there are some specific markets that are unlikely to… like those in rest homes, housewives who haven’t gone back to work, those in very small villages without internet access etc.  If this is a section of your clientele, you’ll know!  Just talk to them and find out.

But do be careful not to assume… my Grandma is well into her 80s, lives in a rest home and doesn’t just send the odd email and potter about, she has actually computerised the entire rest home library and is now properly into texting and all sorts of other stuff you might otherwise think only the young generations do.

So have a nosey at what the successful websites are doing.  Could you adapt their ideas to work on your website?  And could you even adapt the ideas to work in store?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Kepple specializes in helping business owners massively increase their client base and profits.  To get instant access to her free insider secrets report ‘The Top 7 Secrets for Massively Increasing Your Client Base’ visit: http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/freebiebook.

© Copyright Rebecca Kepple 2009

Want to use this article on your site or in your newsletter?  This article may be reprinted provided no part thereof is edited in any way and this resource box is included.

While doing marketing for all the big events is an absolute must, to REALLY grow your business, you need to do more than just a few promotions on Christmas or on Valentine’s Day. This is where smart marketing can make the difference between struggling to keep old clients and constantly attracting people in your salon, spa or clinic.

Running regular promotions or highlighting a new treatment, product or service each month is an excellent start for keeping a fresh flow of clients all year long, by establishing special promotions and discounts according to current events.

Plus on top of that, you’ve got all the other events throughout the year.  In fact, there is at least one major holiday most months of the year.  Very soon its Mother’s Day.  Then there’s Fathers Day.  What about Grandparents Day, Pancake Day and National Secretary Day…

Making every day special is definitely a creative marketing approach, no doubt about it. Let’s face it: you might have the power to attract new customers each and every day. The question is: are you ready?

For example,

• During either local or national election periods, nail salons or manicurists can make related nail designs, with stars and stripes or the union jack.
• Students’ spring break could be another great opportunity to promote anything new or fresh (spring = fresh start).
• Another idea would be have a special happy hour, maybe from 6 pm to 7 pm, when people could have a relaxing (insert whatever treatment you like here!) after long working hours.

Setting clear marketing goals and objectives with concrete time periods is the best way to start off a business on a positive note. This could be a determining factor is predicting sales, forecasting the cash flow and for keeping effective track of the business progress.

Your marketing strategies should focus on keeping the activity running during the busy season and the slow season in equal proportions. It is not enough to use random specials and promotions without conducting any research or setting clear marketing goals. This usually leads to high investments in advertising and marketing materials and poor return of investment. Imagine if you knew in November what promotions you’ll be doing in February – it puts you a mile ahead of your competitors that don’t have a clue. You’ll not only be ready for the holidays, but also for the slow period, with a special promotion on winter services and products.

Yes the year has already started, but its never too late.  Create yourself a full annual calendar of attractive monthly promotions, focusing on the client and community as well. You can target a major theme or a new group of prospect customers every month, and promote it once or more times a month. Remember to keep everyone involved and keep close to your clientele. This way, every day will be special for your business and clients alike!

So what about you?  What are you doing to take advantage of current affairs and holiday dates to grow your business?  Make a comment and share your ideas below…!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Kepple specializes in helping business owners massively increase their client base and profits.  To get instant access to her free insider secrets report ‘The Top 7 Secrets for Massively Increasing Your Client Base’ visit: http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/freebiebook.

© Copyright Rebecca Kepple 2009

Want to use this article on your site or in your newsletter?  This article may be reprinted provided no part thereof is edited in any way and this resource box is included.

Everyone is taking about the economical crisis that has shaken from the ground many businesses, and beauty salons, spa’s or hair salons were among the first to be affected. You may wonder why? In such times, people tend to focus on the main necessities, and some clients are ready to give up taking care of their skin or hair for paying their house mortgage. The true dilemma is: how do we gain them back, considering the fact that we as business owners are also going through tough financial times?

Advertising a hair salon, clinic or spa is essential, just as working with top professionals or having the best prices. Your allocated marketing budget should ideally be at least 10% from your total budget.  And it should on both maintaining loyal customers and attracting new ones on a regular basis. Now if you think you don’t need to spend money to advertise your salon, spa or clinic, you’re completely wrong. It doesn’t matter the fact that you have the best people working in the salon, or the products you use, it’s all about letting people know what you can offer.

Especially if you are new in the business, setting the budget for advertising your hair salon, health business or beauty clinic, can be quite difficult. It’s hard to decide how much money will be used for the equipment, rent, retail products, professional products and many business owners leave the marketing plan at last.

However, your marketing plan is one of the most decisive factor in your future business success, one that cannot be ignored. This is why I thought that a basic guide on how to spend wisely on marketing your salon, spa or clinic would be useful for many of you.

1.    Make a list with your marketing goals and the existing budget. For example, let’s say your first goals would be to introduce your new hair salon to the local community. For small budgets, the most convenient method to advertise the new hair salon could include a newspaper advertisement or flyers that you can make at home.

2.    Decide on a balanced approach to your marketing and remember to keep track of the return of investment (ROI). Small budgets don’t allow mistakes, so make sure you analyze everything before spending. Choose the best media to advertise your business, keeping the message fresh, attractive and on-target.

3.    Be creative! Even if you don’t have a allocate salon budget, this doesn’t mean you can’t be creative in order to obtain the same impact. Traditional, low-cost ads can always become hot stuff is you manage to keep them live and fresh, think about the features that make you salon unique on the market. Feature something NEW or FREE in the marketing material (whether we are talking about a newspaper ad, flyer or brochure) and you can get the attention of prospect clients.

4.    Free stuff - Established hair & beauty salons or clinics used to attract customers with gifts or services. However, when you have a low budget and you don’t want to make any compromises regarding the quality of the gifts, is there any solution? Of course, it is: free consultations won’t cost you a penny or free gifts with the purchase of in-house products or services just require a small investment. The gifts don’t have to be expensive; they just have to reflect the perceived value to the customer.

5.    Internet advertising is in the trends and costs ten times less than traditional advertising media! The Internet is still the best way to advertise a salon with a small marketing budget. While generally you get what you pay for, something is better than nothing - a budget website can be created for about $100, and you can write your own email newsletter. It is a great way to promote your products, services and special offers without spending a fortune.

For many business owners, setting a marketing budget can be a true challenge. However a good plan and wise choices can help you establish a solid position on the market and underline your unique vision without spending loads of money.

So what are your experiences with marketing budgets?  Post a comment below and share your top tips!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Kepple specializes in helping business owners massively increase their client base and profits.  To get instant access to her free insider secrets report ‘The Top 7 Secrets for Massively Increasing Your Client Base’ visit: http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/freebiebook.

© Copyright Rebecca Kepple 2009

Want to use this article on your site or in your newsletter?  This article may be reprinted provided no part thereof is edited in any way and this resource box is included.

1. Sending out newsletters is one of THE best ways of building relationships with clients.  Email is quickest and cheapest so it’s the one I personally prefer most of the time.  That said, email is a funny thing – you need to make sure your email newsletters aren’t too heavily sales based.  Make sure to include lots of free tips and tricks for clients (as well as your latest offers) so that they look forward to them arriving and open them with anticipation of picking up some new bit of info.
2. Your weekly newsletters are doing lots of your work for you.  They are relationship building between you and your clients.  If you’re sending them via email, try to make sure to send them each and every week.  Even if you’ve run out of time, and it’s just a short tip for the week and nothing else, never skip a week if at all possible.  Keep that relationship up and over time you’ll find more and more of them book in regularly.
3. Are you adding all your new clients to your email list?  Every single new client or enquiry should be added onto your list.  That way you’ll get the best coverage and the most responses.
4. Statistics show that most people only read about one in every 4 emails they receive properly.  So if you are sending them a weekly newsletter, they are probably only reading one of them fully once a month.  This doesn’t mean you should drop your frequency down to once a month though!  If you do this, that means they would only be reading one email from you once every 4 months… which really is not very often!  So keep it at once a week and know that you’re getting at least one quality bit of contact with your clients per month.
5. There’s been lots of research and most statistics show that it takes between 5 and 7 contacts with a new client before they want to book or buy.  So if you add a new client on your mailing list, it might be several weeks before they then book in to see you.  But remember if you don’t put them on your mailing list, you won’t have any contact with them and they may never book.  So add all new clients on asap.
6. Getting some clients unsubscribe from your newsletter?  Not a problem.  It’s very common with email marketing that clients will unsubscribe when they are too busy to read your emails.  HOWEVER, it’s also very common for clients to wish to re-subscribe later when they’ve got more time or energy to devote to whatever it is you are offering them.  So always be polite and never take an unsubscription personally.  If you’re highly professional and always welcoming they may well be back in the future.
7. If someone asks to unsubscribe from your newsletter but you can’t see their email address on your list, ask them if they have an alias or another email address.  Many people now days have 3 or 4 different email accounts and if they’ve subscribed to your newsletter under a different email address, you’ll need to know what that is to remove it.
8. Are your friends and family on your mailing list?  Do make sure to add them if they aren’t.  They’ll be your best promoters and your worst critics.  Which means if there’s ever anything wrong, they’ll be the ones to let you know asap so you can fix it.  And when its fantastic, they’ll forward it on to their friends straight away.
9. Do encourage your clients to forward your e-newsletters on to their friends.  The more people you have finding out about you and your services, the quicker and better your business will grow.
10. A great idea is to have a feature in your email newsletter about once every 4-6 weeks on referrals.  Offer clients a voucher or free gift for referring a friend.  If you don’t ask, you don’t get.  So ask for referrals and you may well be pleasantly surprised with the results.
11. Bonus tip - Competitions are another brilliant way to get referrals.  People love to tell their friends about great prizes they might win.  So once every 3-4 months have a big competition.  Give away a gift basket or package and feature it in all your newsletters and marketing materials.  Then actively encourage clients to forward on your newsletters to friends so they can enter too.  How?  Just ask.  EG “we are having an amazing competition this month.  See the details below.  Do make sure to forward this email onto all your friends, colleagues and loved ones so they can be in to win as well!”

So what are your tips?  Post a comment below and share with everyone else what your favourite strategies are for staying in touch with your clients…!

When you’re looking for new ideas for your business, you need to look outside the box… What other businesses that you know of are using marketing that is working?  Why is it working?  And what can you do to adapt those ideas for your business?

Your local car sales yard probably offers FREE yearly checkups in order to bring in consumers and convince them to buy a new car. The key word here is free.

Consumers love to be offered complimentary products or services and will come flocking in through your doors if they know they can leave with something and never spend a penny. Of course, the key is to offer them a product or service that will have them coming back for more.

What product or service is up to you.  But regardless, the marketing tactic remains the same. Just because you see a business marketing tactic used in a business that has NOTHING to do with your service, does not mean it cannot be adjusted and changed to work for you!

Most importantly, when you are selecting what to use as a ‘carrot’ to attract new clients, make sure its something that doesn’t cost you anything (or a minimum very little).  Ie something you can keep on giving away without adverse affect to you - But with enough value that its going to attract new clients in.

Let’s say you are running a successful spa but profits are down and you have no idea how to drum up new business. As you drive to work one morning, you notice the gym is offering a discount on memberships to boost their own sales.

A light bulb should immediately come on over your head. Why not try to offer a stress relief membership complete with relaxation classes, health education and, of course, a wealth of spa values? The gym may have nothing to do with your health business, but they know how to make money and increase their profit.

Marketing is a cut throat business and with so many choices, the consumer needs to be given a unique opportunity in order to choose YOUR product or service over those of your nearest competitor. Taking ideas from businesses unrelated to you and changing that idea just enough to fit into your business mold can make you more money and increase the number of clients you see every day.

Nearly every business in your local area is competing for the same money in your client’s pockets. Taking an idea or two and adapting that marketing idea work for your business makes great business sense.  It is making the best business decision for your profits, your clients and your money.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Kepple specializes in helping business owners massively increase their client base and profits.  To get instant access to her free insider secrets report ‘The Top 7 Secrets for Massively Increasing Your Client Base’ visit: http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/freebiebook.

© Copyright Rebecca Kepple 2008

Want to use this article on your site or in your newsletter?  This article may be reprinted provided no part thereof is edited in any way and this resource box is included.

It’s been a fascinating experience organising a wedding. Not just because I love weddings, it’s my wedding and I love organising things in general! But also because I’ve gotten to see some phenomenal customer service, and some pretty mundane service too.

We picked our reception venue several months ago now, and I’d forgotten all about our experience doing this until someone asked me about it the other day..

We found and visited two reception venues, which we loved the look of, so I called both of them up to find out all the details and get their availability. On calling the first the lady was abrupt and clearly in the middle of something - No the date we wanted was not available, and No she didn’t have the diary in front of her to check other availabilities.

On calling the second venue I could hear really busy office noises and lots of paper shuffling as I got handed through to the right person. Despite how busy it all sounded there, the lady was adorable. She firstly congratulated me on our engagement, and then listened while I asked all my questions. Even though she probably gets the same questions all day, every day, she answered every one as if it was unique and a very good question. Needless to say we booked with the second venue… They’ve been an absolutely pleasure to work with and I’m so looking forward to the big day.

Why am I telling you this? It reminded me of the importance of ‘Being in the Now’.

No matter how busy you are, no matter what else you’re in the middle of, customers are your bread and butter. They are THE most important things you will “deal with” all day.

We’ve all been there - up to our eyeballs in paperwork and then the phone rings with a question about hot wax vs warm… or in the middle of doing something really important when someone pops in and wants to ask about the best shampoo for dry hair…

The difference between great customer service and not so great service, is taking that moment to stop, collect yourself and refocus back on the customer. The paperwork will still be there. The customer may not.

P.S. If you haven’t already, make sure to check out my “Ridiculously Huge, First Every Annual Sale”. There’s extremely limited stock but what’s there is an absolute bargain!
www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/newyearsale.html

Health, beauty and therapy businesses will often find themselves searching and searching for new clients and better ways to make money and stay afloat.

A great place to start is looking at the volunteer organizations in your community and how they raise funds.
Very often these organizations are cash strapped and very limited in how much they can spend on promoting themselves.  Which means they need to learn how to make money off “the smell of an oily rag” so to speak! The means they are usually a great source of light-bulb-type ideas on how your business can get some extra income, without spending a fortune.

One of the biggest fundraisers a local organization can have is a raffle.  And there’s absolutely no reason why a hair salon, therapy clinic, beauty salon or day spa can’t get new clients and make more money the same way.

So what is a raffle?  A raffle is where your business offers to the customers a special package of treatments, services or retail products for a fraction of their value.

For example, if you run a beauty therapy salon you might package together a facial, manicure, pedicure, massage and body wrap.  All together this treatment package might cost you $50 to do but its actually valued at $300.

So for your raffle, you charge your clients only $2 each per ticket.  Both new, prospective clients and current, regular clients purchase lots of tickets because they love the treatments you’re offering and its fantastic value.  For just $2 they could win a $300 therapy package.

Now the key is to sell more tickets than your cost.  So if it costs you $50 to do all those treatments, you need to sell a minimum of 25 tickets.

And yup, you’ve probably guessed by now that every ticket you sell after those first 25, is pure profit you can put in your pocket!

If you’ve got a smaller budget or tighter purse strings, the best bet would be to start with a smaller package or even multiple small packages.  You run a raffle one a week, one every two weeks, whatever the schedule you feel is best for your business.  Then promote, promote, promote!

Your clients walk through the door and they see balloons, they see confetti, they see fairy lights and they’re immediately drawn to the basket you’ve made with all the vouchers in it.  Then they see the small $2.00 price tag for the ticket to win the big package!  After 20 or 30 customers buy the ticket for that package, your costs are paid for and all of the extra proceeds are going into your pocket as profit.

Raffles have been used by many businesses, organizations, and non-profit organizations for decades.  In fact once you’ve done a few of these and you know you’re going to sell lots of tickets you could give a portion of the proceeds (after costs of course) away to charity.  This would really show your clientele that you are in touch with the community.

If your salon, clinic or spa normally only holds five customers at a time everyone feels they have a huge chance of winning.  Each of those people thinks that you’re directing that spectacular giveaway toward them.  They don’t think about the fact that 100 more people may come in during that week, and that each of those people have the same chance of getting that special package.  All they know is that they are just spending $2 and they have a chance to receive a facial, sample products, a foot massage, a manicure (or what ever you’re giving away) for a very small price.

PLEASE NOTE - In some countries you are required to have a licence or be working for charity to do a raffle.  Please do check raffles without a licence are allowed in your country before using this idea.  If you find you can’t do this, you might want to try doing something like running a competition in a local paper or in store.  Make sure to get everyone’s names and email addresses, then they go in the draw to win the gift basket/package.  Another fab way of getting more new clients!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Kepple specializes in helping business owners massively increase their client base and profits.  To get instant access to her free insider secrets report ‘The Top 7 Secrets for Massively Increasing Your Client Base’ visit: http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/freebiebook.

© Copyright Rebecca Kepple 2008

Want to use this article on your site or in your newsletter?  This article may be reprinted provided no part thereof is edited in any way and this resource box is included.

Contrary to popular belief, not all clients are created equal!

Your client list can be organised in many ways.  One of the most popular ways of categorising them as A level, B level, C level and D level clients.

What this means to you will be different depending on what you want the most out of your clients.

Your specific idea of an ideal A level client will be different to anyone else’s but for arguments sake, lets just say that your ideal client:
-    Books in 2-3 appointments in advance
-    Provides you with at least 2 high quality referrals each month
-    Pays full price for all their purchases and appointments
-    Purchases the retail items you suggest and then uses them in the manner you advise.

If this is the case, your B level client is still a valued one but perhaps they don’t rebook but just call up a week or two in advance to book their appointment.  And they don’t actively refer their friends and colleagues to you but will tell people if they remember.

Your C level client only books appointments every now and again, hardly purchases anything and sometimes tries to haggle prices with you.

Your D level clients are obviously your least valued clients.  They are the ones that your stomach sinks when you hear their voice on the phone.  They are the ones that will without fail expect a discount, the ones that never do as you ask, who are always late, who speak snappily to you, who you generally just wish would go away.

Your D level clients are the ones that take up the most of your time but give you the least money.

In contrast your A level clients take up the least of your time but give you the most money.

Have a think about the clients in your clinic, spa, beauty business or hair salon.  You might have different qualities you value compared to the ones I’ve just suggested but the result is the same.  You will have clients who are wonderful and then ones that are a pain in the neck.

The idea behind this ABCD client concept is to get you starting to think about what type of client you want more of and what type of client you want less of.

As soon as you’ve finished reading this article, there is an exercise I would like you to do.

Get a piece of paper and divide it into 4 sections.  Put A in one box, B in the next one, C in the next one and D in the last one.

Then list all the qualities in the A box that your A level clients have.  Then list all the qualities in the D box that your D level clients have.  And then do the same for B and C.  It is easier to start with A and D by the way.  B and C will then just follow.

The next step is to imagine what your business (and your life) would be like with just A clients.  Imagine how much you would enjoy what you do.  Imagine how easy it would be.  Imagine how much you would just love seeing each and every client.

Then brainstorm.  Brainstorm where your A clients hang out.  What they do during their days, what they do during their free time.  Where you and your marketing needs to be to get more of them.

By the way… if you do this and then you realise you have some E clients.  Fire them.  Next time they try to book in, you are busy.  Give them the name of another business in the area that they could try to book with, but unfortunately you are fully booked.

Don’t be scared to turn E clients away and as you get more A clients, your D clients as well.  If they are really that bad, then they will take up so much of your time that you will be making a loss on their appointment.  Which means there is no point.

If you don’t enjoy dealing with them AND they take up lots of time AND you are making a loss on their appointment because of it, then stop taking their bookings.  You are in charge.

And remember… what is your D client, is someone else’s A client.  Everyone runs their business differently.  Everyone has a different personality.  How some clients behave with you will be completely different to how they behave with someone else.  So let them go find a business where they are valued.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Kepple specializes in helping business owners massively increase their client base and profits.  To get instant access to her free insider secrets report ‘The Top 7 Secrets for Massively Increasing Your Client Base’ visit: http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/freebiebook.

© Copyright Rebecca Kepple 2008

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