It’s no secret that referred clients make better clients. They cost less to acquire because they are already pre-sold on your services. They are less price resistant because someone they trust referred them. They tend to be more understanding and easy to please. And since they were referred to you, they are more likely to refer others. If you want to get more referrals from clients, here are seven steps to creating your referral marketing system. continue

Using testimonials from happy clients in your marketing materials is a great way to demonstrate “social proof.” Social proof is a psychological mechanism by which people look to the actions of others to make a decision. So, if you have lots of people talking about how your services improved their lives in some way, your prospects will start to think more highly of you.

A good example of social proof is the product rating system on websites like Amazon.com or Citysearch.com. Say you are looking for something (books, hotels, restaurants, etc.), and find two comparable options, one with an average 3-star review and one with an average 4.5-star review. You’re more likely to pick the one with the higher rating based on what other people have said. That’s social proof in action. continue

Business owners are always looking for ways to explain to prospects why they are different or better than their competition, and therefore are the best solution. One way they do this is by crafting a concise sentence or two that stresses the core benefit of working with you. This is called your “unique selling proposition” or “unique sales position,” often shortened to USP. continue

The biggest question in your prospects’ minds when deciding which company to hire is “Why should I choose you to help me over every other option out there?” One way to answer this is by crafting a “unique selling proposition,” a concise statement that stresses the core benefits of working with you. continue

If you’ve been marketing your business for any length of time, you may have heard marketers advise you to sell benefits, not the features of your services. Here’s a quick definition of each: continue

When you start marketing your business, it’s easy to get caught up in the design elements. Which color, font, pictures and design is right? What should you tell prospects about you and your companies’ successes that will convince them to hire you? continue

If you want to set yourself apart from other service providers, you need something that will make your prospects sit up and take notice - and that will influence and motivate them to hire you. A red hat or a sleek logo may get you noticed, but what does that have to do with your ability to solve your prospects’ problems? It doesn’t tell your target audience that you have the skills, knowledge, and expertise to get the job done. In other words, it doesn’t instill confidence that you know your industry inside and out. continue