Whether you are marketing your services as a massage therapist or a web builder, it is important to know how to communicate with potential clients in a way that grabs them at the gut level.

Why is this so important?

When you are able to speak to their emotions they feel you understand them.  When people they feel like you really get it, they will feel more trusting of you and therefore more ready to move to the next step in the sales process. It’s about building a strong relationship first.

This first part of building empathy cannot be rushed.

My clients are people who feel stuck, overwhelmed and not sure how to focus on their business. They are stressed from not  having enough cash flow or as many of the kind of clients they want.

You need to come up with a sentence like just like this for your clients. Notice that I never once mentioned my services or any solutions.  I only mentioned their problem, issue and how they feel.

Most small business owners, who help other people,  immediately begin to talk about themselves, what they do and how their wonderful service can help. You all know what you do and what you can offer. That’s the easy part.  it can be challenging to come up with a couple  of  sentences that really hit the nail on the head as to your client’s problem or issue.

Example. Recently I worked with a marriage counselor. She said her clients were couples who wanted to restore the passion in their relationship. This says what they want but it doesn’t say how they feel.

She could have said,  “My clients are couples who have become bored with each other, they are arguing a lot, feel unhappy, loss of joy and a lack of passion.”  Ah- that’s emotionally compelling. If I was one of those couples I would say, Yes, that’s just how I feel.

Before you can develop an  effective marketing plan you have to be able to articulate your client’s emotionally compelling problem. Here are a few tips to help you develop this.

1. Imagine one person who would be your favorite client. If you can’t think of a real person then make one up and give them a name. Picture that person and their life in detail. This person will become your marketing expert.

2. What is troubling this person that would cause them to look for help?  How do they feel?  Come up with a list of 10  feelings they have using feeling words like, anger, sadness, frustration, stress, yearning, low-energy, overwhelmed, in pain, etc.

3. Still thinking of your person, what do they want? How do they want to feel? How do they want their life to be different? How important to them is it to address those feelings?

Take all your answers and combine them into a couple sentences. Notice: that this is all about your client and not about you and what you offer.

You can use these sentences for your marketing copy for your website and for sharing about your business at networking groups. This is the  very first part of developing a marketing plan. Once you get this, it is easy to move forward to the next part of the 7 Steps to an Impeccable Marketing Plan.

Many solo-entrepreneurs are overwhelmed. ” Too many things to juggle, not enough time, poor organization.”  These issues eat away at your efficiency and can effect your overall success.

I also have struggled with these same challenges and I have learned that the one most powerful solution to those challenges is make a clear decision and then FOCUS.

To help children learn Akido,  the teacher has each child hold out their arm and visualize that their arm is a powerful fire hose with  water churning through. Their arm needs to be strong, straight and aimed impeccably. It could not veer off or get side-tracked. Maybe you can imagine that feeling. I can and it is still a powerful metaphor.

The trick is to do that same thing with your mental focus.

1. Make a list of  tasks or jobs that need to be done today or this week.  Prioritize them based on where the greatest need is and your business plan.

2. Decide what you want and need to focus on right now in this moment. What is the most important thing for you to accomplish today or this week. Make a clear decision. Draw a circle on a blank paper and write it down in the center. Hang it on your wall where you will easily see it.

3. Make a list of all the obstacles that will attempt to derail you and then take action to eliminate those in whatever way you need to.  Put a  “do not  disturb” sign on your office door. turn off your phone, etc.  These are only excuses or ways to avoid and side-track you.

4. Imagine how you will feel at the end of the day or week after you have focused on your goal. Breath in that feeling and stay there.

5. Focus, focus and focus on your task. Begin to take your first action step. Smile and breath.

Just like like any new habit, it takes practice. When you work for yourself, you have no boss watching you, no one notices whether you spend hours on Facebook or doodling. In order to be successful you must develop focus and make it your best friend.

This week I had the unfortunate experience of my MacBook mail program biting the dust. It was frustrating and time consuming dealing with this issue.

However there is always a positive side of every difficult situation.

I met a wonderful new Mac technician named Gene who I spent the day with as he slowly repaired my computer. During that time we chatted about one of my favorite topics, business and marketing.

He commented that for the first time in seven years in business, his sales are way down. I asked him how he markets himself and he admitted that he always had a steady flow of customers so marketing wasn’t important.

He was guilty of the number one cardinal thinking error in business, “I’m doing well, so I’ll keep doing well without needing to do marketing.”

Wrong! Look at Pepsi Cola and how much they advertise and market themselves. They never quit and in fact they look for new and cutting edge tactics.

Here are a few truisms about marketing, regardless if you are a computer techie or selling soda pop.

1. Never quit marketing.

2. Keep assessing who are your target clients and what motivates them.

3. Look for new and creative ways to reach those people.

4. Give away something of value in order to build the relationship.

5. Go where they are as well as inviting them to come to you.

Have you ever gone into your favorite shop and they have moved around all the departments and displays?  It gives a fresh new look even if the merchandise is the same.

So change your website regularly, re-arrange your office, put out new materials. Gene suggested he might send out postcards to his data base announcing a new product line.  Nice idea but  those kind of postcards get dropped in the recycling bin almost immediately.  It’s a waste of postage.

It’s only worthwhile to mail a postcard if there is a call to action that makes people hang it on their fridge; a free seminar, open house etc. You have to think like your potential customers and imagine what they will do. Make sure you learn about the seven steps to an impeccable marketing plan and get help so you will follow it!

One of the most challenging things about owning a business is feeling like you are tied to it with a ball and chain.

Most small businesses are not Monday through Friday gigs.

There are always lists of things to do; bookkeeping, phone calls, web updates, jobs of clients, blah, blah and more blah. It’s endless and it’s impossible to get everything done.

There is always the next thing in on the list. I don’t know anyone in the first few years of their business who only works 40 hours per week. There are days I work 12-15 hours ( I am embarrassed to admit).

Comments I often hear from my clients  include:

• If I’m not here and my clients want me I’ll lose their business.

• If I’m not working I’ll lose money.

• I have to get this done!

* I can’t afford to leave and go anywhere.

People get anxiety attacks being away from their cell  phone and/or computer. It’s scary and it’s no way to live.

I did the unthinkable and I went away last week. I left town on Thursday morning and returned Sunday night.  Before I left I was having trouble sleeping, my mind was on over-drive.

I spent four days with no phones and no ability to work on my business.  In fact,  work-like balance is actually part of a whole business. I came back to 400 e-mails but I also came back calm and balanced. I feel rejuvenated and here are the benefits I noticed just today.

1. Ability to focus without distraction.

2. Talking slower and  more evenly.

3. Able to work more efficiently, doing one task at a time.

4. More energized after four good night sleep.

All this happened from taking four days away from my business. The sky didn’t fall in, I didn’t lose any clients and  in fact, many people didn’t even notice I was gone.

Let’s start with a definition from Wikipedia.

“Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.”

Twitter is a micro blog platform. You are limited to 140 characters per post. This forces you to be concise and keep each tweet (Twitter post) to just one topic.

The key to effectively using Twitter is to understand that it is a conversation between people. It is about sharing information. It is not a sales platform although some will disagree with that. I am not saying that you can’t use it to sell but you need to do it the right way.

If all you are planning to use Twitter just as a platform to send out your links forget it now. Just like a blog you need to supply valuable information and build your reputation as a valuable resource.

Do that and when you occasionally recommend something people will be interested. Just send links and very few will continue to follow you.

It works like any type of networking. It is most valuable when you are sorting information about your niche for others. Just like a blog if you find valuable resources from others and let people know about what is valuable to your readers on your blog or followers on Twitter.

Just like off line networking you don’t go to the local Chamber meeting and introduce your business. You talk to people there and ask about theirs. Have an idea that can help them – share it. Do that and you develop relationships that will help your business not because you pitched your business but because you became a valuable resource that others will recommend.

Twitter works the same way. I encourage you to jump in. Start following people whose thoughts you value and begin sharing yours as well.

If you want to follow me you can do so at: http://twitter.com/mozakdesign and I’d be happy to follow you back!

You can ready more of Jocelyn’s Mozak’s blog at http://www.mozakdesign.com/blog/

I look forward to your tweets!