I caught up with an old uni classmate earlier this week, who has been running a successful consulting business for the past five years. After finding out about life in general, our conversation moved around to what was happening in our businesses. When I asked Kate about her business, I was struck by how similar her story was to that of my clients when I first start working with them. On the outside, you would think that everything is going well, but under the surface it is a different story.

Don’t get me wrong, Kate’s business is good and I think there is lots of potential to grow – but as she said, “I feel like my legs are running but going nowhere, fast”.

When I asked her what she meant by ‘going nowhere, fast’, Kate said that she felt as if she was putting in a lot of effort for little return. She felt her business had plateaued and she wasn’t sure what she needed to do to move out of its current rut and up to the next level. Kate also said that the strategies she normally uses to expand her business just didn’t seem to be as effective as they used to be. She was now waking up in the middle of night, thinking about her business and what she needed to do differently, and that she is worried because she relies on her business to support her and her family – as many of us do.

It’s an all too familiar situation that I also hear from my clients when I start working with them, but I could let Kate know that she was not alone. Many entrepreneurs go through the same situation that she feels she is facing, but there are strategies she can put in place to change her current reality.

One quick strategy is to stop going it alone! Most people feel that they need to keep doing things by themselves that they can’t let others know what is really going on for them. This is such an antiquated way of thinking. By investing in support, you move yourself more quickly forward than you could on your own. Trust me I know! Not only from working as a business mentor and seeing my clients succeed, but from having my own business mentor. My business mentor costs me thousands of dollars each month, but I move forward more powerfully in my business both in results and in my thoughts, having her as my partner rather than not having her. This type of support is so different from the support you might gain from your team, your peers, or even your family.

Over the next few weeks, take stock of where you currently are, especially as we are now 6 months into the year. Ask yourself, “What support do I need to move my business to another level over the next six months?”. “What support do I need for me?”. Tweet

The difference between customer service and client satisfaction is all in the terminology, don’t you agree? I personally think it is time to move the focus from service into satisfaction.

I recently heard a great distinction between the differences: customer service is more of a reactive attitude whilst customer satisfaction is that of a proactive attitude. Being proactive in your business and with your clients is much easier than being reactive, and as we all know it is less expensive for us to keep our current clients rather than go in search of new clients all the time.

So how do you retain your current clients? Here are three quick tips:

a) Make sure that your clients’ expectations are meant. The way to do this is to make sure you are clear on the benefits your products or services provide. If you have been following me for a while now, you will know that I am constantly talking about how you need to be clear on the benefits and results your products and services provide. Clients will buy the product for the benefit but they will stay for the experience. You need to make sure the experience is worth staying for.

b) Re-affirm that the decision to buy from you is the correct decision. A simple way to do this is not to forget them after they have made the purchase. For example: check in with them 24 hours after the initial purchase and answer any questions they may have. Another way is to use your client testimonials for retention, not just in the initial pre-purchasing stage.

c) Treat each client as an individual, and take the time to find out who your best clients are. By understanding this you can increase the lifetime value of these clients. You spend so much time bringing these clients in, so why not do what you can to keep them? It might be that they don’t need to receive a discount on a current product, what they may need is an advance course or product to keep them moving forward.

There are so many different ways to meet and exceed the expectations of your current clients. If you’re not sure what you can do to keep your current clients with you, then why not book in for a 1-hour ‘Just in Time’ coaching call, and together we can brainstorm strategies that will allow you to continue to provide sizzling client satisfaction to your current clients. I look forward to supporting you as you grow and develop your business. Tweet

Each week I receive emails from readers of my Biz Booster ENewsletter  with questions about their business development and growth that I take the time to answer. There are often recurring themes, so I thought I’d take a moment to share with you one common question asked, along with my response, as I am sure you will find this of value. Together in business we often face challenges that are very similar, if not the same, so think about my response to this question, and see if it relates to your business.

Q: Sometimes, I feel like I am hitting my head up against a brick wall. What else can I do to grow my business? I believe I am doing everything I need to do to grow my business, but I feel nothing seems to be working.

A: The ebb & flow of business can be very frustrating at times and without knowing too much about the specifics of the business you are in – let’s start by bringing it back to basics. Some things to consider are:

a) Have you clearly identified and articulated your ideal clients? – Do you know specifically who your ideal clients are? Consider both their demographic profile as well as the psychographic profile .

b) Do you specifically know the results and benefits clients receive from working with you? - If you ask yourself: At the end of the day, what do I really do for my clients? What are the results and benefits I bring to them? What do they walk away with? Are you able to answer these questions in a results orientated way?

c) What is your core message? – This is a clear simple message that cuts through all other messages and defines exactly what it is that you do. It is no longer than a sentence and it makes people stop in their tracks to ask more about what you do.

d) How big is the group/list/network you are marketing to? - What is your current multi-channel marketing strategy? Are you consistent with this strategy? Do you know what works and what doesn’t work? What needs to change or what do you need to do more of? Additionally, what steps do you need to take to grow your current list?

e) Are you clear on your products and services? - Are these products and services that people want to buy? Do they solve a problem for your potential clients? If not, what can you change in your current portfolio that truly meets the need of your potential clients?

Finally, if you have tested your products and your campaign, and are confident in them, then consistency, as well as being persistent is what is needed to move you forward.

I am here for you to discuss any aspect of your business development or growth. If you're not sure of your ideal clients, the benefits or results you provide or even what your core message is, why not book in for a 1-hour Just in Time coaching call with me so together we can work out any of these blockages you may have. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Tweet

Following on from my article on Competition is NOT a Dirty Word in Issue Nine, here are some strategies you can take to better understand your competition:

· Block out some time to research who your competitors actually are. Look for those businesses that are either in direct or indirect competition with you. If they are in direct competition, then they will be offering the same services and products to the same market as you. If they are indirect competition then they will be offering the same services and products but in a different marketplace. This is where you can also begin to spot any gaps in the marketplace. Is there something new or improved that you can develop for your market?

· Once you have identified your top 10 competitors, look through their websites. How does their site compare to yours? What products/services are they offering free of charge; what ones are they charging for? Is their site easy to use and navigate? Get a feel for the language and words they use to describe themselves and their services, and compare this to your language. Are they using the different avenues of social media more effectively than you? Look further than your local competition, start to look globally and see who is out there doing what you are doing. By doing this you can begin to understand how you can tap into the global market for the benefit of your business.

· Look at what their clients are saying about them. When their clients are speaking about them, are they describing their success by measurable results, or are they only saying that it was great to work with them or spend time with them? If their clients are speaking in terms of results and benefits, then you know your competitors are solution-focused in their work. When you work with your clients are you solution-focused? So look at the results and benefits their clients receive, and determine how this differ from the results and benefits you have with your clients.

· Take a moment to consider how their product or service differs from yours. Are they offering something that you currently are not offering? Are they better qualified to provide the same service? How do they specifically describe their products and services? What terms are they using to describe their promise to clients? Do they have a clear promise for their clients? Is their Unique Selling Proposition clearly defined?

If you are ready to move out of being that everyday small business owner who struggles to make ends meet, to that of a strategic entreprenuer who knows exactly what they need to do to grow their business and increase their profits, why not check out my Fast Track Success Program Tweet