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Make It Real July 2008
News and Views from Clarity to Business, LLC
Catapulting Visionary Entrepreneurs and Companies to Success | |
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Greetings!
Welcome to July, the month everyone in Phoenix moves to San Diego.
In this month's newsletter, the puppet is calling out to all introverts. Introverts recharge by being alone (as opposed to us extraverts who rev up by being around people). Introverts often think that they have to force themselves to be extraverts to market successfully. The puppet is here to tell you that's not the case. Read more about introverts below.
Thank you for reading the newsletter and thank you even more for applying these ideas to help your business thrive. If you or someone you know wants to prosper doing the work they love, please send them to me for a free consultation to see if there is a fit.
Finally, be sure to sign up for the Business Plan Workshop in Phoenix on four Monday evenings from 4-7:30 pm. The workshop begins September 22nd.
Stay cool.
Christy Strauch
602-561-8499
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Marketing for Introverts
Some of my clients are introverts. Contrary to popular opinion, introverts are not shy and they do not hate people. They simply get energy from being alone.
North American society is predominantly populated with extraverts. Introverts can feel like there's something wrong with them and sometimes try to find ways to hide their introversion. The puppet knows how this feels (although when you're a puppet, it's tough to hide pink hair and purple skin).
So how do you market your business if you're an introvert, large groups of people overwhelm you, and the idea of cold calling or going to networking meetings makes you want to stick pins underneath your fingernails?
Conversely, if you're an extravert and you have introverted clients, how do you market to them in a way that doesn't annoy them or send them away screaming?
Introverts do well one-on-one. They also do well in small groups. They like to go deeper with a smaller number of people. If you are an introvert, here are ways you can market.
Find people you like and who do business with the same type of clients you work with (i.e. referral partners). Establish a strong relationship with them. You're already good at that anyway. Your referral partners will be so enamored with your love and your work that they'll be happy to refer their clients to you.
Establish strong relationships with your existing clients. Send them thank you notes. Have a party for them once a year. Reward them for sending you referrals. They, like your referral partners in #1 above, will feel so loved that they'll be happy to refer people to you.
Put a lot of information about the benefits of working with you in a brochure or on your website and let these communications screen prospects for you. This will save you time answering frivolous questions from people who aren't the right fit.
If your clients are introverts and you're an extravert, slow down. Introverts need time to answer questions (they want to think about their answers before speaking). They also want you to give them your undivided attention (okay, everybody wants that, but introverts really want it). They want a true connection with you. Don't waste their time on small talk.
Calling all introverts: I will give 30 minutes of marketing coaching at no charge to the first introvert (new clients only) who calls me at (602) 561-8499. I look forward to hearing from you.
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TIP OF THE MONTH
Are you an introvert or extrovert?
 In keeping with our theme of introversion and extraversion, take yourself out of the office for a nice cup of coffee or tea. Sit quietly and ask yourself these questions: 1. Are you a person who gets energy from being with people, or from being alone?
2. Do you enjoy meeting lots of people at networking events, or do networking events--especially big ones--make you ill?
3. Do you like meeting lots of new people, or would you prefer to have deeper relationships with fewer people?
If you say yes to the first half of each question, you are an extravert; yes to the other half, you are an introvert.
Now that you know which one you are, look at your marketing. Have you chosen marketing activities that are congruent with your personality? If so, yay. If not what can you change to make your marketing is fun for you? Email me your discoveries.
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| CLIENT SPOTLIGHT
Sky Handke, a holistic leadership coach, wants to wake up the world. Sky has begun a series of short (five minutes or less) Wake Up videos that she posts on YouTube every Monday morning.
Give yourself five minutes next Monday to view her new video for the week. As promised, the video will wake you up and give you a new perspective as you start your week.
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RESOURCES & HAPPENINGS
Business Plan Workshops: Make your vision real
If you want to get a jump on your BIG vision for your business in 2009, sign up for one of our business plan workshops. You will leave the workshop with a completed business plan, including financials, that you can use to run your business for the next year.
We have two business plan workshops coming up. The first one is four Monday evenings, September 22-October 13th at the Mesa Community College downtown campus in Mesa, Arizona.
A representative from Nedco, the Neighborhood Economic Development Company (which is a Community Development Financial Institution- a micro loan bank that loans to small and new businesses) will be at the Mesa, AZ workshop to answer questions about how to get a loan to jump-start your business. If you don't live in the Phoenix area you can find out more about CDFIs here. If you live in the U.S, there is probably one in your area. The other is a business plan workshop/retreat in Northern California the weekend of October 31-November 2nd. If you want to get your business in your body, not just in your mind, put this workshop on your calendar. Stay tuned for details.
Early bird workshop discounts are available. Go to our website and click on Workshops for more information.
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