Get Booked Solid

 

    You can have the world’s best marketing program in place but if you are not marketing your best self, with superior standards, you may not build a solid clientele, at least as fast as you would like. One of the perks of having the opportunity to attend as many shows as I do is to meet other top speakers. Last week in New York I had the chance to sit in on a class Paul DiGrigoli was giving for students on Tuesday. It was called Booked Solid and he had the attendees fired up. One of the things he was preaching was personal development a point he and I definitely agree on. He had a graphic of a wheel of 9 business principles and strategies and wanted you to rate where you think you are on a scale of 1-10. An actual honest self-assessment is the only way to truly improve.  I’m going to share these tips with you and encourage you to honestly evaluate where you are in these categories and seek the education you need to improve areas that are lacking. 

 

1.New Clients. How many new clients have you gotten this past week, month, year? You should be looking for anywhere from 10-40% new client appointments any given month. If you’re not growing, you’re dying.

2. Retention. What is your retention rate? How many of those new clients are coming back? Industry standards are anywhere from 40-80% Do everything in your power to increase your retention rate.

3. Referrals. Are you asking your current clients for referrals? You won’t get them if you don’t ask for them.

4. Prebooking.  If you can get your clients to prebook their next appointment it saves time and money. No wasted time on the phone and no extra weeks in-between their service. I have a saying everyone gets at the end of my service.  “In order to maintain your professional service I will need to see you in x number of weeks. Let’s go ahead and look at the book to find a time that works best for us both.”

5. Technical ability. Be brutally honest with where you are technically. Take photos of your work from many angles and ask an expert to help you rate them. There may be a small fee but who better to invest in than yourself? Get yourself to classes to maintain your current techniques as well as learn new ones but remember you must practice to improve. Don’t practice till you get it right, Practice till you can’t get it wrong.

6. Customer Service. Do you have great customer service skills? This is an area that you can set yourself apart so easily with just a smile and a strong handshake. Don’t forget to follow up.

7. Time Management.  Are you making the best use of your time? We all get the same 24 hours, how is it some get so much more done? Manage your time wisely.

8. Communication. Are you an expert communicator? Can you read your clients body language? Communication skills truly separate the good from the great. If this is an area you struggle get yourself a good book on communicating effectively.

9. Personal Development. This is my favorite. You can have all these other skills and earn a living but with personal development you’ll make your fortune. Take time later tonight or first thing tomorrow and rate yourself in each area. Asses what you will work on and take action. Marketing your best self is smart marketing.