Summary: Where do you go to get clients? Do you get them online? Do you rely on your local BNI group? Do you prospect through your local Chamber of Commerce? Do you get most of your leads via referrals? Regardless of where you go to get clients, the real question becomes "how's that working for you?" Are you able to generate adequate lead flow to produce the level of sales you need? And if not, what are you going to do today to fix it?<br> <br> <br> "I still don't know where to go to get clients."<br> After a seminar I conducted for a large group at a trade show, a business owner approached me and said, "I really liked what you said about bringing new clients through the door like clockwork, but I've never been able to do that. I've been in business for a long time but believe it or not, I still don't know where to go to get clients."<br> That Statement Floored Me!<br> When someone opens up like that, I try to be empathetic, because I understand how incredibly frustrating it is for anyone who lacks the ability to bring new clients through the door consistently -- like clockwork. Every day becomes a challenge and every night a struggle wondering, "what can I do tomorrow to get business?"<br> <br> But this was different. Here's someone who had been in business for years, who had a very specific problem, recognized he had the problem, but failed to take the necessary actions to fix it.<br> <br> So I said, "Let me ask you a question. What would you do if you didn't know where to go to get groceries?" He looked at me blankly.<br> <br> I continued, "What would you do if you didn't know where to go to get shelter for your family?" He continued staring at me.<br> <br> "Seriously," I said, my voice growing louder, "what if your kids were hungry and you didn't know where to go to get food? What would you DO?" I nearly shouted that last part, and he looked a bit concerned.<br> "What would you DO to get clients?"<br> I smiled a bit to break the tension and said "You'd figure it out, wouldn't you? If you couldn't afford to wait years for a meal, you'd figure it out right now, wouldn't you? If you had no place for your kids to stay? You'd figure it out. Well it's the same with getting clients! You can't just wait around hoping that some day, some how, something will magically change."<br> <br> "You need to create a solution and you need to do that right now! If you don't know where to go to get clients, you don't know how to find or attract them to get their attention, then you need a system for making that happen..."<br> <br> Here's a person who had been in business for more than five years, able to bring in clients here and there, just enough to stay in business, but nothing consistent... and never took action to fix it!<br> <br> I wish I could tell you that this person is the exception, rather than the rule, but he's not! In fact, most of the people struggling in business today, do so because they don't have a system or process in place for creating the awareness they need to bring in new customers like clockwork.<br> <br> This would be like McDonald's not having a process in place to make hamburgers, or Domino's not having a process in place to make pizza.<br> So Make No Mistake: Clients are the Most Essential Ingredient in Your Business and if You Don't Know How to Get Clients, You are Failing in Your Most Important Function!<br> Getting customers begins with knowing you have to do it, knowing it's a priority. It continues with targeting... identifying the primary markets, sub-markets and people who need to know you're alive. It's about creating communication and initiating contact in a way that attracts instead of repels. It's about follow-up that's smart and strategic, instead of random, haphazard and annoying. And ultimately, it's about programming clients to choose you.<br> Programming Clients to Choose You<br>
