Four powerful ways to attract customers

There is a profound difference between nagging prospects to convince them of how good you are and them coming to you, telling you how they have heard of the value you can provide, and curious about how they can work with you.

The latter situation puts you in a position of strength, has the lowest client acquisition costs, and gives you the ability to charge higher fees. Below you will see there is a lot you can do to pull clients towards your business.

You don’t need to use all of them (though many businesses do) but be aware that if you don’t use any of them you are probably in the wrong business. The best thing to do is to start with one tactic, become comfortable with it to the point where it becomes habitual and automatic, and then move on to using other tactics. Remember, people are receptive to different forms of communication, so having as many tactics in your arsenal as possible is a good thing. Here are four of the most powerful:

Referrals: This can be a key and everlasting source of business, provided it’s planned and not haphazard. Hearing that a peer or friend was happy with a service is all most people need to hear in order to become customers themselves. Having an active referral plan just accelerates the opportunity for your business to benefit from the great service you are already providing. Start by asking a current client if she is happy with your service and why. Then ask if she knows people like herself that could also benefit from the same service you’ve provided her.

Testimonials: This is another good way to showcase the results of your work by asking clients for their permission to use their name and positive feedback in your marketing material. Here you want to ask how they felt when working with you, and what results your service gave them. Testimonials have a powerful influence on how prospects think: they help them visualize what it would be like to work with you, and what results you could provide for them.

Articles: Here you share the knowledge between your ears by putting it down on paper. This not only furthers your expertise by doing further research on what it is you sell, but by using simple language clients can better understand what you do and build trust in your service. Writing is one of the simplest activities on your way to establishing yourself as an authority in your respective field. Repurpose your articles for your blog, your ezine, and other online or print publications that are hungry for quality content.

Public speaking: This is an effective way to get in front of multiple prospects at once and showcase your services. While the setup, invitations, and delivery can be time consuming, it’s a great way to amplify your credibility and give prospects an experience of what it might be like to work with you. Speaking should be the tool of choice when you have a specific, non-mass market service and you need to target a specific audience. For example, if you sell accounting services to entrepreneurs, you might want to speak in front of a chamber of commerce or SME society. Repurposing by recording your speeches and posting them on a Youtube channel will further increase the return on your efforts.

Ahmed Al Akber is the managing director of ACK Solutions. He has worked internationally in marketing, sales, and strategic planning at companies such as The Coca-Cola Company, Philip Morris International and Dell.