How To Talk To Your Clients So They Understand Your Value
If you could hand-pick your ideal client, what would that look like? Would it be a business owner eager to get traction and server her clients? Would it be someone who listens to what you suggest and is committed and ready to take action? Would they understand that you're services aren't cheap, but they need what you're offering so they are decisive, committed, and have no excuses? I think that is the type of client most of us are looking for. So, here's the big question. If you're trying to attract business owners like that why are you marketing to WordPress developers?
Let's Talk Big Picture
It can be really easy to get so deep into themes, plugins, SEO, hosting, security, and all the other stuff that goes into building a WordPress business that it's easy to lose sight of the big picture. So, to get clarity on the issue, let's talk about something other than WordPress for a minute. Hopefully, this analogy will shine some light on your current situation and help you see your business from a new perspective.
Have You Ever Hired A Band?
I remember when my wife and I were planning our wedding. We talked about what kind of music we wanted to have at the reception. We were inviting people of all different ages and musical preferences so we were trying to decide between hiring a band to play live music and hiring a D.J. for the music.
Suppose that's you and I was in a band. You call me up to talk about playing at your wedding reception. The phone rings. I pick it up.
You introduce yourself and ask if I am available to play at your wedding. I confirm my availability. You sound excited.
Talking To Your Prospects
Things are getting off to a good start. So, I start asking me some questions about what you would like. But rather than asking about what music you like, what age groups are going to be there, do you have a particular song you want for the “grand entrance,” how long will the reception be, etc. I start asking me questions like this:
- Do you prefer the tone of mahogany, rosewood, or maple on acoustic guitars?
- Are you looking for light, medium, or heavy gauge strings? Or do you prefer nylon strings?
- What is your favorite time signature, key, and tempo in beats per minute?
Then I start telling you some exciting things about my skills and techniques as a musician like:
- I regularly practice with a metronome to make sure I am always improving the consistency of my rhythm.
- I always keep my guitars in rooms that have at least 50% humidity
- I make sure all the members of my band are deeply familiar with natural, harmonic, and pentatonic scales.
Then, after all that, I ask you what your budget is because clearly, I know what I'm doing and I'm a seasoned professional.
Are You Having Conversations Like This?
If you are talking about WordPress maintenance, plugin updates, SSL certificates, etc. then you're having one of these ineffective conversations. This problem can show up all over the place too. It shows up in client meetings, on your website, in your emails, on phone calls, and in your proposals.
Why Are You Doing This?
You do this because it's what you know. You are into this stuff. Like with the musician example. That's the kind of stuff guitarists talk about with other fellow musicians. That is NOT the conversation they have when they are trying to book a gig. But with WordPress – and the internet in general – client communication (wherever it shows up) tends to gravitate towards this path.
OK, Well Now What?
If you feel like this is something you're struggling with and you're feeling sort of stuck trying to figure out what you should be talking about instead, give me a call and let's talk about it (for free).
Let's spend about 45 minutes diving into this issue and at the end of the call you'll come away with:
- Clarity on who your ideal client is
- Focus on your target market
- How to talk to your clients about what really matters to them
