win More Clients For Your Home-Based Business by Avoiding These Five Deadly Mistakes

Not long ago, I effect out an RFP (inquire of for proposal) for a virtual assistant to steal over technical responsibilities for my web place, shopping cart and autoresponder, so I can focus my efforts on several tremendous projects and my private clients.

I received conclude to 20 offers, however, less than a handful made enough of an impact for me to demand a personal interview.

Of those I chose not to pursue, it's not because they were incompetent or lacking in any arrangement. I'm clear they are competent VA's with a grand deal to offer. The pickle was the device they were communicating to me ... the potential client.

You can rest assured no matter what business you're in, you will be competing with perhaps hundreds, if not, thousands of other businesses who are vying for your ideal client, and you need to separate yourself from the others by avoiding these five deadly mistakes.

1. Not opinion the prospect's needs, or worse yet, completely ignoring them!

My needs were clearly listed - web maintenance, shopping cart and autoresponder administration. One of the offers I received listed typing, transcription, scheduling appointments and making fade arrangements as the services provided.

No mention of providing the technical skills I required.

If you're submitting a quotation to provide a product or service, accomplish determined you understand what the prospect needs, then scream that prospect how you can meet those needs.

If you merely provide a list of what you offer with no reference to what the prospect is looking for, she will mediate you either a) don't pay imprint to what you're reading, or b) fair don't care - and either one of them will effect your proposal into the round file.

2. Not walking your talk.

One disclose listed web maintenance and compose as a service offered, however, the bidder didn't have a station of her possess or offer any references or testimonials for sites she 'allegedly' maintains.

If you offer a particular service that can be verified, provide testimonials, references and samples in your unusual roar so the potential client can corroborate them.

People are busy and if you don't give them what they want on first contact, they aren't going to pick the time to contact you for more information when five, ten or fifty other proposals are giving them what they need.

3. Vague testimonials.

One issue provided a link to a web station where I could read testimonials. The testimonials were one and two liners followed by clients' labels instead of their names, locations, or businesses.

For example, "Betty does proper work. - Accountant", "Betty always has her work to me on time. - Chiropractor."

If your services are fine of receiving testimonials, there is no reason why the providers shouldn't approve the expend of their name, business and town to validate the testimonials as authentic. Adding a describe creates even greater validation.

4. Don't meet requirements, but want the business anyway.

One proposal came with a effect, "I don't know how to do what you need, but I'm willing to learn."

The concept and aspiration may be there and perhaps, you can learn, but ... if you're competing with many others who are ample and can step in and open work legal away, your utter will be discarded immediately.

win out what kinds of services others in your industry are providing that you're not. Also, acquire out what kind of request is being made for those services. If you spy numerous requests being made for a particular skill, believe learning that skill and score yourself into the game.

5. Don't manufacture it all about you.

I received two offers that demonstrated no true interest in how they could meet my needs. The first went as follows ...

"I cherish working with coaches! I've been running my beget business for "x" years. I have a degree in "x". I worked as a nurse's assistant for 'x' years, then decided to pursue my savor of organizing, and I have ..." - there was no mention of skills that would meet my needs.

The second was similar ...

"Our company would like to offer you a free 1 hour consultation over the phone to allege you further information about who we are, what we do, and how we work." - does anybody care about the prospect and what she needs?!

One of the famous rules of marketing was missed in both.

When people are considering your service or product, they're looking for back or to absorb a need. The only thing on their mind is "What's in it for me? " Nothing else. Nada. Zip. So compose positive your entire focus is on what you can do for them.

If you're making any one of these five deadly mistakes, select corrective action good away.

Once you've mastered the art of how to communicate with your prospects and give them what they want, they'll be beating a path to your door.

2006 © Laurie Hayes - The HBB Source