3 Ways For Entrepreneurs To Stand Out And Get Clients

Success is all about perception. For some, it can be about the acquisition of materialistic goods as a benchmark of progression. For others, it can spiritual contentment, and being at peace with one’s mind.

In business, however, the rules are a lot clearer and the perception less ambiguous.

And while the qualities to achieve success – persistence, ambition, discipline, etc – are all paramount to achieving your goals, without applying these three indefatigable rules, you’re not working towards anything long-lasting.

The backbone of any successful business is repeat clients.

As a business owner, you need customers.

You need new customers. You need your customers to return and buy more.

So, here’s what you can do:

1. Give people a reason to come

2. Give them a reason to stay

3. Give them a reason to return

If you want to build a better business, you need more customers and recommendations. For that, you’d have to stand out in the crowd. You’d have to be compelling and you’d have to network.

You open a new restaurant. You hire a great chef. You hire someone to handle your social media. And suddenly you are the talk of the town. But two years down the line your business slows down. There’s more competition now. And they are killing it on social media.

What went wrong?

Humans need stimulation. Brain Stimulation. They need newness. And you lack it. It doesn’t end here. They want to feel special as well.

Rule 1: Give people a reason to come

You have to have an initial attraction or pull to get people to come to you, which is the beginning of any transaction or business deal.

Think about the last time you entered a restaurant: what was the reason you entered?

• There was either something unique on the menu that enticed you in
• The location was convenient
• Maybe it was owned by someone you know or was it recommended by a friend?

Whatever the specific reason was, there was a reason that you entered.

Without providing people with an initiative to come to see you, they won’t. In today’s fast-paced society, where attention spans are on the decline and convenience is top priority, you need to have an extremely strong reason for people to come to you at the beginning of your relationship.

• Whether you are a freelance photographer, a personal trainer or a blogger. You must give people a strong reason to buy your services. 
• What’s your USP? Are you a master of your craft?
• If you are in retail offer something unique that others don’t and separate yourself from the competition. Find a problem and solve it!

It’s not about the brand. A business is defined by individuality above all, stand out from the crowd.

Make sure YOU define your brand and story strongly, otherwise people won’t notice you. And if they don’t notice you, there’s no reason to come to you.

Rule 2: Give people a reason to stay (make them feel special)

The hardest part of any business is to get people through the door – this is the beginning of any relationship.

But the second reason – building a relationship so that they stay – is what will define whether you’re profitable, or successful.

I own a retail fabric store. It’s a franchise of a big brand. At first, people walked into my store for the brand. But I focused more on building rapport and relationships with the clients. I can sell them any label now because they want to buy from me.

Think about it for a second using the restaurant again as an example: if it’s not the delectable food on the menu, it’s the exceptional service.

In fact, some restaurants survive off simply providing exceptional service and not the best quality food! This reason really is that important.

At its most fundamental, giving people a reason to stay is about your ability to strike up a relationship with the client or customer.

How good is your customer service?

Beyond your positioning in the market, what’s unique about your business or service that persuades them to stick around?

A freelance copywriter may provide a rapid turnaround on their work or unbeatable price that convinces a client to sustain a long-term working relationship. But beyond their initial pull, they’re adding further value once their proposition has entered their agreement, convincing them to stay and build upon the working relationship.

Think long and hard about how you treat people once you’ve got them through the door. You’ve put an immense amount of effort in to get that front foot onto the porch – why waste it with a lackluster effort once they’re inside?

It’s much easier to sustain a business with 100 repeat customers every month than it is killing yourself having to find 500 new ones.

Give people a reason to stick around.

Rule 3: Give people a reason to return (the only thing constant is change)

At this stage, you’ve completed arguably the hardest work. You’ve created an enticing offer, convinced people to stick around, and it’s pretty obvious that you’re both benefiting from this mutually positive arrangement.

However, we still haven’t maximised the potential of this transaction until we give people a reason to return to us.

This is where a little gesture can go a long way.

The restaurant can leave a note or coupon in the bill that encourages the customer to stay loyal. The waiter could even pass a comment about what a pleasure it was to serve the diner on that night, saying they hope they’ll be returning in the near future.

Ever noticed when you make a transaction online at your favorite store, they then try to get you to like their Facebook page or follow them on Instagram? This is because they want to keep you in their circle so that they can entice you back to do business with them in the future.

I offer straight flat 20% discount on next purchase for social media mentions.

For the newness – change the lighting, the furniture, the colors, crockery, anything. Have something new on the menu. Launch offers. Be creative. DO more to get more.

Add value and provide an exceptional service, but strike while the iron is hot in order to build the most rewarding and long-lasting relationship between your business and customer/client.

When put into practice, these three reasons should flow seamlessly together.

Business and success in life is about systems that run efficiently, and fine-tuning each stage of these systems ensures not just short-term results, but also longevity that creates a legacy.