Dutra Associates

Unleash Your Peak Potential

The Book Yourself Solid ® Six Keys to Creating Connection

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If you want a perpetual stream of inspiring and energizing ideal clients clamoring for your services and products, then you must build relationships of trust.  Without trust, then it doesn’t matter how well you’ve planned or what you’re offering. If a potential client doesn’t trust you, nothing else matters.

So how do we create connection and build trust? Let’s take a look at the Six Keys to Creating Connection. Knowing the answers to these questions will ensure that the offers you make to prospective clients are right on target.

  1. Who – Who are you trying to create connection with? Who is your target client or customer? The more specific you can be, the better. Once you have done this, choose one person (or organization) within your target market to focus on.  Identifying and gearing your marketing to a specific individual (or organization) allows you to make the important emotional connection that is the first step in developing a relationship with your potential client.
    Action: Identify your target client or customer.
  2. What – What do they want to buy when they look for you? What are the kinds of products and services they think will solve their problems or help them reach their goals? What’s going on in their life? If you don’t know, put yourself in the shoes of the client or ask your target market. This helps you to look at what is relevant to offer. Be clear on what it is they are looking for rather than what you might like to offer.
    Action: What are your potential clients looking for? 
  3. Where – Where do they look for the products and services? Is it a referral from a service provider or a friend?; the Chamber of Commerce?; a bookstore?; the web?
    Action: Where do your ideal clients look for you? 
  4. When – When do they look for what you are offering? What’s the trigger? What needs to happen in their personal or business life for them to purchase your services?
    Action: Describe the situations that will likely drive potential clients to seek your products and services. 
  5. Why – Why you? How is it that you are the best choice for the people you are meant to serve?  What is it that is unique and special about you or the solutions you offer?
    Action: Why should your potential clients choose you? 
  6. How – How do you want them to engage with you when they find out about you? Sign up for your newsletter?; attend a teleseminar or webinar?; call?; email?  What’s the first no barrier to entry thing you want them to do to sample your services?
    Action: How do you want your potential clients to interact or engage with you?

Clearly defining these six keys will help you to determine what you want to offer your potential clients as you create your sales process and to build trust and credibility in an authentic way.

The Six Keys to Connection are excerpted from Book Yourself Solid® by Michael Port and is a registered trademark of Michael Port & Associates LLC. Used with permission.  Sherry Dutra is a Certified Book Yourself Solid® Coach and Trainer.

About the Author: Sherry Dutra is a Talent Development and Career Coach and Facilitator who believes we each have far more potential than we typically tap in to. She helps you learn how to step into your full potential so you can create consistent, optimal performance for yourself and your team with less stress and more enjoyment. If you would like to uncover and address hidden challenges that may be sabotaging your success, leverage your strengths, and accelerate your progress toward the results you desire, contact Sherry for a complimentary consultation.

Are You Attracting Your Ideal Client?

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Attract Clients Who Energize and Inspire You

Almost all business owners, regardless of business size or industry, have probably, from time to time, found themselves working with clients who drained their energy and perhaps even diminished their profit. When a business is new, this is especially true. As business owners, we have the tendency to take on any client with a pulse and a checkbook because we are trying to build a business and may be feeling the financial pressure of doing so.  It’s understandable that if you’re deciding between a less than ideal client or making monthly revenue goals, you might choose to take on the client even if, in your heart, you know the client is not a good fit for you and your business.

Changing Your Strategy: How open are you to taking the bold step of saying ‘No’ to those clients who drain your energy?  What would make you willing to consider it?  If you stop and consider the benefits of saying ‘No’ to the detriment of saying ‘Yes’ – you might be much more inclined to only accept clients who meet your ideal standards.

Here are five benefits of saying ‘No’ to less than ideal clients:

  1. You open up space for those you are meant to serve.
  2. You do your best work with your ideal clients and also increase the referrals you receive.
  3. Your confidence increases.
  4. You enjoy your work more.
  5. You make a bigger difference in the world.

In Book Yourself Solid, by Michael Port, he discussed the concept of the Red Velvet Rope Policy. Establishing such a policy enables the clients who energize and inspire you to be attracted to your business and keeps out the prospective clients who are not ideal for you and your business.

To establish your Red Velvet Rope Policy, ask yourself the following seven questions:

  1. What type of people do you love being around?
  2. What are the qualities or characteristics you would like your ideal client to possess?
  3. What do they tend to talk about?
  4. What interests do they have?
  5. How do they contribute to society?
  6. What values would you like them to possess?
  7. What else is important to you that you would like to see in your ideal client?

I encourage you to take the time to write down your answers to these questions and to begin to craft your profile. Once you have clarity, begin using the profile to evaluate who passes through your Red Velvet Rope and watch the impact on your business, your energy level, and the personal satisfaction level of you and your clients.

About the Author: Sherry Dutra is a Talent Development and Career Coach and Facilitator who helps you create consistent, optimal performance using all your capacity and potential in both your work and life. If you would like to uncover and address hidden challenges that may be sabotaging your success, leverage your strengths, and accelerate your progress toward the results you desire, contact Sherry for a complimentary consultation.