How can we minimize “missed opportunities”

by Brenda Kinsel, AICI CIP

Has this happened to you?

• The day you’re running errands and you’re in your sweats with no makeup on is the day you run into a client you’ve been courting. You’re not exactly in your “walking advertisement” outfit.

• You get asked for a business card and whoops, you don’t have one with you. In fact, you haven’t had one on you the last 5 times you were asked.

• Your website is under construction. Oh, and it says you’ll be up live in January of ’09 which was three months ago.

• In front of a potential client you open up your handbag to grab a pen or card and the ripped lining shows and things are all a mess in there. Not exactly your “best impression”!

• Someone hears what you do for a living and they comment about what a great luxury it would be to use your services and you’re tongue-tied. You don’t have a comeback line that invites them to work with you and/or that dispels their impression of your profession.

Don’t you just hate walking away from a situation saying to yourself, “Darn it! I really blew that opportunity!” Some of the things on this list are things that could be taken care of in a weekend. Are you always looking in all corners of your purse or car for a fresh business card?  Indulge yourself and find a business card container that you just love and that only holds your cards and nothing else. So when you go to pull one out, it is a graceful, smooth move that demonstrates respect for yourself and your business.

You never know where or when you’re going to run into your next client or potential client. Are you prepared? If you leave the house saying to yourself, “Boy, I sure hope I don’t run into anybody I know!” guess what happens? You do! When you’re an image consultant, it’s good to win the reputation of always looking good. That doesn’t mean you have to look like an airbrushed magazine cover 24/7. You do need to look well put together whether that’s in your casual weekend clothes or your go-to-work clothes. If you run into a client and she’s with some friends and wants to introduce you as her image consultant, do you look the part? Are you sending the message to this client’s friends that you know what you’re doing? It’s up to us to practice what we preach. Consistently.

One of the things I teach in my “You Had Me at the First Appointment” teleseminar is how important it is to show up to see that new client and have everything geared to focusing on her and for her to see clearly that she is your primary focus. One of the ways to do this is to have all your physical materials organized: your notebook with a fresh, clean piece of paper at the ready; your file folder that has her name neatly printed on it; and when you reach in your handbag for your glasses or a pen, it opens up and is neat and tidy. There is nothing to distract the client. All signs point to your professionalism. Everything else is out of the way. That’s when the stage is set for that great first appointment to happen. It takes just a few minutes to organize a handbag or a tote. Can you put that on your daily to-do list?

Web sites are pretty standard these days and act as business cards for many people. Just like keeping your handbag organized, it’s important to schedule the time to keep your web site current. It’s better to have a site that has less content but has a “face” than to have an “under construction” sign that lingers longer than you intended. Current clients might be forgiving, but potential clients won’t be.

And now to one of the most important marketing “missed opportunities”, that moment when your tongue is tied and you don’t know what to say when someone has counted herself out as a potential client of yours based on some notion she has of this business.

Here are some lines I’ve used when people have done that with me. See if they might work for you.

Potential client: “Sounds great, but I could never afford a service like this.”
Me: “Can I ask you something? How many wrong purchases would it take in order to enjoy my services? Do you have mistakes hanging in your closet? Maybe they still have the price tags on them? One session with me and you’ll never make those mistakes again. My services pay for themselves from the very start.”

Potential Client: “If you come into my closet, you’ll just tell me to throw everything out and start over and I can’t afford that.”
Me: “Do you know how many times I’ve gone into a client’s closet and found gold mines that they didn’t even know were there? It happens all the time! They just can’t see it anymore but my fresh eyes can make new, current outfits out of your existing clothes and accessories. And you know what? If there are things I’d suggest getting out of your closet, it’s only because they don’t serve you and you weren’t wearing them anyway.”

Potential Client: “Your clients must be rich.”
Me: “You know what? They don’t talk to me about what’s in their bank accounts. We stayed focused on their wardrobes. I’ve worked with all kinds of people and all kinds of budgets. It really doesn’t matter to me. I just like to create wardrobes that serve my clients and make them happy.”

I think it’s really important to practice standing up for your services and your profession whether you gain that client or not. People really don’t understand what exactly we do, who we do it with, and what the benefits are until we tell them. I always carry in my head about five client stories that I can tell which demonstrate what the benefits of working with me are. Stories are powerful. What are your five client stories that explain your services? Be ready to tell them.

Brenda Kinsel, AICI CIP, is a 25-year veteran of the image industry. A national speaker and author of five popular books on fashion and style, she has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Canada AM, and HGTV as well as numerous radio and newspaper sources globally. A past AICI VP of Marketing on the international board, she has been honored with AICI’s prestigious IMMIE Award. She’s passionate about helping image professionals have more fun and make more money in their careers.