As I walk past pictures of angelic looking families gathered around a perfectly decorated Christmas tree, I laugh at how my Christmas experience at that exact minute is polar opposite. My arms are breaking from my shopping bags.

I’ve got an oversized dog bed hanging off of one arm (what was I thinking). My phone is ringing, it’s my printer on the line trying to get final signoff for an Everest sized project for one of my private clients. I’m carrying my toddler’s hat, gloves, coat on one spare finger, and she’s at my side yanking at my coat, too tired to walk because her new shoes she wanted to show Santa are hurting and is about to let the good folks shopping in this over crowded mall know just how much noise can come out a two year old’s lungs.

Ahhh, the holidays.

And a brand new year is peeking just around the corner.

If Santa asked you what you wanted for Christmas this year, would you tell him you wanted a bigger, more successful business? Would you say “hey Santa, can you bring me a boatload of new customers – and not those pesky, high maintenance kind who are always trying to drill me on price – but the kind who are funny, intelligent and fun to work with? And have the ability to pay me? You know, dream clients? Oh, and Santa, would you mind delivering me these dream clients every single week, to my front doorstep like clockwork so I never have to worry about prospecting for new business again and can really build my client base?”

Then the old man with the apple red cheeks and shiny black shoes would chuckle softly and say “well, it’s about time you asked…”

So here it is.

Straight from Santa’s sack.

The 8 Marketing Secrets To Attracting A Never Ending Supply Of Dream Clients For Your Business

1. Know who your dream client actually is. Sounds obvious but few people have this part thought out. Most folk define their dream client by default as being – well, anyone who wants to pay me. Na-uh. Get clear.
2. Make a list of 20 -100 companies or people who would be your dream clients. When I first started my copywriting business I set my eyes on working for the really big guys – the Fortune 100 Companies like Walt Disney, Coca Cola and Mercedes Benz. I made my list of 100 companies and looked at it every day, thinking of all the different ways I could “break in” to be able to work with them. I didn’t get to work with all 100. Actually I only got to work with 3 before I changed my focus, but those 3 big clients gave me more work than I could handle. Thing is I would have never have been able to work with them if I didn’t know from the start who I wanted to work with!
3. Brainstorm how you could create the dream experience for those dream clients. Put yourself in their shoes. If it was you writing them the check, instead of the other way around, what would be the absolute ultimate, rave worthy experience if anything was possible? Now you have your new gold standard.
4. Hold a focus group of your current dream clients. Take them out to dinner and ask them what you could better. You will be amazed at what they tell you and how much they appreciate you asking their opinion.  Work with your current client base.
5. Truly there really is no marketing secret if you become a marketing nut. Marketing is the life blood of your business. Period. Remember that it’s not the best company who wins, it’s the best marketing. Make it your business to learn everything you can about real world marketing that has been tried, tested and proven in the battlegrounds of real life. Not crummy marketing theory that should work in principal but is unproven.
6. Create a monthly, and weekly marketing plan for your business. Then implement it. Separate your marketing into 3 sections:

• your lead generation
• what you do to convert a prospect into a paying customer
• what you do to keep a customer so they buy from you again and again.

7.  Make marketing your daily fix. Just like ordering your cup of Joe or having a lunch break. Spend a little time every single day working on your marketing. Don’t make your marketing a series of sporadic, haphazard events that happen in reaction to cash flow issues or “when you get the time.” Without marketing, you don’t have a business. So put it at the top of your list.

8.  Be remarkable at what you do. Give more than your clients expect. Follow up with them. Care about their success.

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