One of the complaints I hear from career practitioners is how reactive to client demands the work is and that it’s difficult to proactively sell career services. Repeat client cycles can last a year or two, they’re on a tight budget and charging a premium can feel like a pipedream.
It can leave you wondering what you’re doing wrong, working long hours to deliver results and perhaps struggling to get ahead. But how do you get out of this cycle?
It’s all about positioning. Positioning is what sets you apart from what others do in your field and the perception that a customer has about you and your business. The challenge is that as career practitioners we do this so well for jobseekers but we don’t always do it for ourselves.
Creating good positioning is a bit like being a magnet. You either repel or attract your ideal client. Just as you position your clients for their future, we need to do it for ourselves as career practitioners. There are so many things to make this all work but I think there are really four areas that require your attention to grow your business with flexibility:
- Yourname.com: People buy from people. The easier you make it to access you as a person, rather than you behind a business name, the quicker a client can connect with you. You are what makes you different in the market. Plus, you might get bored or decide to create a different offering. Personal branding gives you flexibility to grow and evolve your business in the future.
- Blog: Share your thought leadership. What insights and experiences have you had that help your potential clients get to know you and your perspective?
- Speak: Give presentations and video blogs to targeted groups. Invite people who may be able to refer clients to you. Help them to hear you. It will allow them to decide whether they can trust you with their clients.
- Sell: Most career practitioners I talk to don’t enjoy selling or find it difficult. You need to be able to close sales from your enquiries and maximise the average sale per client. Consider your website content, auto-responders, webinars and scheduling tools to make it easy for clients to start working with you.
By making some small and consistent changes you can create a profitable business and stand out from others in the marketplace. You can work with your dream clients, achieve fulfilment and live the lifestyle that having your own business creates.
Jane Anderson is a personal branding expert. She is a professional member of CDAA, Professional Certified Coach (International Coach Federation), professional speaker and mentor.
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