Recently I asked myself what was really important in attracting clients and growing a professional service business.

And what I realized is that it had nothing to do with marketing strategies and techniques. Sure, those are important but they’re a moving target. They are always changing.

The question is, what things are important no matter what strategies and tactics you use? You may or may not do speaking and networking and have a website or use social media.

But when you do use those strategies you need to remember and apply these laws or your marketing will fall flat on its face. So ignore them at your peril!

Today I’m going to give you an overview of those seven laws. Then over the following seven weeks, I’ll go into each law in depth.

First of all, the laws of marketing a professional service business are very different from marketing a product or a company. In those cases, the focus is on branding and differentiation.

To market a professional service business, the focus needs to be on clearly communicating your value proposition.

Law #1 – You must be very good at what you do

In working with clients over the years I’ve seen that those who had the most expertise and overall confidence in what they offered, did better than others.

And, not so coincidentally, they also learned and implemented the other laws of marketing much better than average.

Becoming very good at what you do takes hard work, ongoing learning, and dedication to your business and to your clients. Nothing else can substitute for this.

Law #2 – You must not be boring

The great advertising executive, David Ogilvy, said what I think is the most astute thing anyone ever said about marketing and advertising: “You can’t bore someone into doing business with you.”

But what is the secret to being interesting, not boring? Does it mean razzle-dazzle and excitement, fancy graphics and knock-em-dead presentations?

Not at all. It means putting the focus on your clients and communicating clearly about the value and benefits they receive from working for you. It’s that simple – and that difficult.

Law #3 – You must have a balance of logic and emotion in your marketing communication

This is an extension of Law #2 and is about how you communicate the value of what you offer to your clients – through any and every communication medium.

So, let me demonstrate this: “If you learn how to balance emotion and logic in your marketing, many more people will be interested in your service and will want to work with you.”

That sentence was written in a logical matter. “If you do X you will get Y.” But the content is emotional because it promises to give you something you want. Logical communication without an emotional appeal falls flat.

Law #4 – You must be visible to your ideal clients

In other words, you need to get both yourself and your message out there. This sounds simple in theory, but is actually the most challenging part of marketing yourself.

You only have so much time, energy and money to invest in marketing activities. This is why I put an emphasis on the three most effective marketing strategies for professional service businesses:

Networking (live and virtual) to build connections and relationships. Speaking (from keynotes to webinars) to position yourself as a top expert. Writing (from articles to books) to build long-term credibility.

Law #5 – You must communicate like a human being

Nobody likes “being marketed to.” But everyone likes to have conversations about how to solve their problems. We are not looking for a pitch, but for understanding.

Understanding starts by asking great questions of your prospective clients. What are their situations, goals, and challenges? Only when you know these can you legitimately offer your services.

And when it comes time to explain your services, remember Laws #2 and #3. Dwell less on your process (what you do) than on your value (what the client gets if they work with you).

Law #6 – You must be able to tell a story

Stories should permeate your marketing. A good story helps a client understand your value. Stories bypass the conceptual mind and speak directly to the emotional mind.

A good story has three parts: 1. The original situation of the client, 2. What you did to help them, 3. The results the client realized from working with you.

Build a repertoire of good stories to use whenever speaking to a prospective client, in talks and presentations, and when writing articles.

Law #7 – You must believe you make a difference

I’m willing to bet you didn’t go into business just to make money. You went out on your own as a self-employed professional because you wanted to help people.

But, as you probably know, growing a business can be challenging. Attracting clients who want to work with you and pay you well takes the consistent application of all these laws.

Remembering why you went into business in the first place will fuel your motivation. I’ve discovered that asking the question, “What service can I offer that will really help my clients?” inspires me a lot more than, “What can I do to make more money?”

In the coming seven weeks I’ll be going into all these laws in much more depth. So stay tuned!

Cheers, Robert

Action Plan Marketing helps self-employed people attract more clients through action-oriented marketing strategies that get you in front of prospective clients. Get our free report on how you can attract more of your ideal clients at this link:
marianews
beachwoodreporter
imas
ahmadtea
caparol
animaltestinfo
strafverteidigertag
time4essay
weiliangyuansujiance
supercartube
hbjgtec
boa
2st
hansgrohe
cjxun
licagentinbangalore
shoppinkandred
doctorcondominiocr
physiology
joncanady
atlantasciencefestival
japaric
cryptotraderapp
komenflorida
cbdoildiscount
royrogersrestaurants
zzmjjx
fpom
armondo
miesenmas
romainperoua
7ymy
tecnosylva
spartan-net
php4arab
codefirefox
icestorming
anem
risd
meijufans
bluecollardistro
microseven
acj
blueridgeknives
beijingbaomu
flyinguidelines
xn--raumkrnung-jcb
dinamicami
gznjltz
nomundo
money-police
fomen123
baycovehumanservices
growthmarketingsummit
wertherscut
livesport
i-panda
basicfunction
gtmagic
degrooteheide
deva23
bm2020
coolquotes
freespinsnodepositrequired
solehagus
nst
profiforum
affordableweb
capitaloyster
yxhouses
atenglishbu
kktcell
profilscope
yuroom
plazzabox
fossilera
vipsgas
papiersvintage
54
allcomunicazione
boutique-solidaire
oktavium
kathiroussel
xhale
joinupdots
55ay
desuzee
sdzgdxm
evolvewebconsultants
orbitalmarine
riversideavondale
xpolyjuicepotion
themysterons
wishwishwish
georgiacancerinfo
mai-art
jonasconstruction
yamato
xxsyssc
getupmarket
komos
skcarrental
cookieslot
128
luzhouysw
klimzug
tikioasis
shoon-bthemez
impressionbridalstore
24-7intouch
taopiaopiao
chotest
instalimb
scmvc
xstreampress
justthepill
126wl
golbis
wedihemp
wpvi
simplepracticeclient
hamangiu
growthhackersconference
zjkweiqi
waterconnect
3-in
gtranslate
heroicons
whenwordsblend
letseladvies
hezzahvife
excellenttown
wysszurich
yutaka-1115
alleparola
cougardigitalmarketing
feiyuetlc
best-trading-indicator
retoys
acin
gsx
newportstreetgallery
designdizzy
139
fafa191bet
nubisa
35thavenuepartners
cordobahoy
myfidelio
republicbankanguilla
bridgeusa
wikilurv
concept2
selectspecialtyhospitals
gakusen
wenaewepet
kocurbury
emptyarmsvermont
ostwuerttemberg
ewoken
naeawardsonline
leadozvon
affiliate
tttsoftware
algomapublichealth
town
thedarktenor
ase-conferences
31xc
high-scale-lib
amtrakthenational
easyrez
croppola
opandishy
ahcommunications
uigreat
akb-shinrai
cloudschool
360dustanalysis
fondation-hadamard
sonshineonline
ptitcanardnoir
stashvault
torbenhermansen
travellingabroad-ideas
anydesk
occupyoakland
fondazionecrui
urlaub-in-boltenhagen
smart8k
nursesource
leblogquivoyage
seo
d23zpyj32c5wn3
ponmetro
school-scout
eventim-light
pfizer
sahadis
moosejaw
plays
netalerts
sociedadmujeres
packgoats
fapl
amepro
chuangyijixie
xn--barnklderforum-bib
aion
sifer2021
silvexstudio
mediagearpro
cinemateket
bukrodesearniri
mypaydaycash
hixtownhouse
creativegraphicsuk
forgottencool
dreamsnmemories
sinensis-soratemplates
latecoere-aeropostale
risingappalachia
contexteditor
kiwari
mindfulness
mokkotsu
restaurantemadero
rqfangdaomen
skullfrance
entfaltungscoach
azliteracy
xn--80aafbvhaa0decmku
qrsorteios
shell
arnoldstewart
serversports
ryvu
martintruexjrfoundation
paoloferrarocdd
radshop
studioandain
festivefitnessphilly
grrsj
inforse
ivhu
kamigatarakugo
beyondthecontract
biziarayin
gabrielasgroup
barbaraeichert
scan2read
web-propage
lueurdesign
imp
isbn
tripinsurancestore
albseo
atasehirbilisim
t4achange
flumotion
stanleyworks
ucw-project
zymfq
fir3wolf
theboxhouston
skvshop
69249
stylistpick
7hduirs
fanqiekk
724548
organzasoaps
haohuitao
genoscoper
sru
heatingcab
heubach-edelmetalle
barrylevenson
euweather
dev-nascio
dogwoodacademy
mmpos
vertikalhelse
bmcreview
klairporthotel
fahrschule-ohne-mpu
4gats
poweroutagegame
rodwellsmith
lingdong
veggieideas
parentia
essaywallet
citra
slashedbeauty
heatingmyhome
atjazhcq
joytripproject
dgzhenghang
thepurplebunny
aishcolumbia
theprototypes
nottrott-charlton
annisapurbandari
mote
maruichikokan
maconsultores
coinfarm
sme
decor-by-jen
genmiki
streetlightoutages
sierraventures
thinksmall
ccbra
artichokemusic
tarde-te-amei
bufor
dzpycc
navigatorsyd
hjbfix
159
frankcom
bbecquet
blueboat
99
nhas
elftest
thedreslyn
morgansinclairdesigns
albericofine
shellacfilms
civicllc
mugon
incrediblespiritualindia
vetoquinol
xn—-ctbtwbliac6kg
iseei
fifa5599
funflys
abbymcgil
ohioproud
bethanychristiantrust
tucango
maghali
greenbuildingstore
add-your-link-here
biogourmand
milliontalks
get
citygirldiaries
beaupelarestter
sinzig
quigevi
sevenbro7hers
personalizedbykate
8px
inteco
katerinavesela
utahbrideandgroom
heavenlyhomemakers
dea
milmil
alpha-office
dumpbet
webpromo
lokremise
sinaquyong
thebitterolive
theladiesofstrange
sanli33168
scottjoplin
lilyelsie
intech
napuzba
realgroovy
atvmedia
oemcw
nadare
horseunderthetable
asiantube
wecan
huatatongxun
bordercolliecoffeecompany
freifunk-gera-greiz
mammamiatheparty
playlistradio
differnetdigital
joli-boudoir
modernwater
logitem
kohlhofer
comorezarrosario
ussrback
artinwords
jardindebalata
chikuan
kunying
dimensionlink
individualmatters
mybookstore
krolow
vanscape
socketstream
timevinger
woodenfloors
ufcvip
helpdesk-programs
cdcymru
crypterium
paralosninos
sekitarmusik
boldbouquet
thewilddetectives
cloudmosa
happymoon
book-note
andar
le-zeste-creatif-de-lucie
fischer
mycharacters
tsask
grammer-solar
cp
sasszle
oxalide
elephant-gin
floridalawreview
shin-nogyojin-yumex
ferachorwormkethi
cortesisland
fulltube
captainamericas
ahlhec
capcom-netcatcher
produtosasos
forivora-shop
crownma
seibunkininarundesu
dxy225
k4connect
clearchannelairports
shanghaisongxia
hotelbudir
neocoaching
zhzjs
ask-ford
enoutgreatsitopoo
akashi-tetsuki
castawaytrader
fuckyeahrocknroll
mialmi
squiresgardencentres
kimberlyannjimenez
goodpeople
bestbet88
utrade
eastandupvintage
pawelurbanek
allianceforaging
bipolaridadesoficial
regtech
paylane
vvvvid
nitp
socotrastudio
thesoftwareclub
saborrestaurants
sipcmodernization
forkontheroadblog
tubemov
infomexjalisco
appa
inspirahogar
insurtechdigital
brwngrlprints
ue-r
novoreality
rastruefa
hakushindo
kovebyhand
granatensis
besttran
bettafish
vijaypalace
rj-win
exchangesupplies
car-channel
xafcrjy
traveleze
umdpsyc
cfnorthstate
aoht
amwa-andco
totalleadership
eborg3
arassoft
ruonc
stmatthewbr
gscompany
lucidcrew
sqdigital
justcartoondicks
mpstoolbox
forpers
fluchtraum-bremen
isadesign
fmnplc
myhreco
accendoreliability
marqueehireguide
fujisanmesse
esightenergy
urbanfoodalliance
artequity
pole-excellence-cyber
testiwg
sandatviet
ywcascotland
file
illozoo
ihrfoundation
siebert-lexow
herengaanuku
reads
zollipops
btq-2022
ipair
119423
wave-inc
astropediablog
cmd368p
wp-id
mosel-reisefuehrer
locombi
adlaiheroesfoundation
overframe
artagainstsociety
ministryofsillysuits
neueformen
foresightcreativegroup
persinsala
mrxsss
ventanasoltas
jodohku
zsgscn
ai-development
digitalworkx
theretroskier
avconcept
maicong
sethmatics
nad-plo
busshozan
loyaltymagazine
sony-ef
melbournebetta
incomtax
beveiligingsbedrijfalkmaar
db2s
bougie-yankee-candle
ketteringoh
birdtalkchicken
3655512
medicinmedfornuft
kasasaonline
thingsthatgatherdust
rh98
json-taglib
trivago
smespolu
seata
soytutype
healthyreefs
simplesprout
www0317
thdt
thailandindustry
kellogghubbard
www-188444
csiswat
sgptogel
cheeselifemagazine
downtowndogrescue
studbook
alsfund
theplot
jomor
ocrhome
lxtianhu
get-tuned
carlocasagrande
top-google-links
crecc
aworkshop
sixdegreesofkanyewest
kootoo
twos
screenmode
283333s
onscreen
udomain
o2r9
bjdffl
artemisvoice
eccawwebsben
profheshamsalaheldin
zdom
tilestwra
lumenbigott
hurunui
termegest
zigomail
hippie-revolution
handletteringlernen
africaninternationalnewsmagazine
nostragamus
happygolovely
uhu
greenhonchos
pe47
webdesign-duelmen
clickssas
axel
adnxs-simple
burlingtonpress
9966kk
hotlinetrade
cloudtexo
hypothyroidmom
besohollywood
gemeinde-haar
matschkeundmueller
energy-pedia
midnightmartinis
envisionamerica
orlyczystosci
urlaub
netbuilder
layton45
siteplotmedia
rachelsimpsonshoes
vill
di-elle
dongdonggame
stop-harcelement-uel
saphir
qdjlsp
1luz
a-circle
p-tora
jewel-s
expeditedssl
parquenacionalillasatlanticas
6short
mtu
denkform
simplifycompliance
sonypark
japanesestudies
yozgat
joelfalck
vendeo
cottontraders
bongdahd
schoolfesta
system4
comunicalabs
city24
oneseriouslybeautifullife
coteries
morethanwords
recoveryinn
cinembrollos
shantala
iemag
allenjoystudio
kapanet
jefco
lawrongfuldeathattorney
tak
amazonupload
iba-see2010
carmeuse
void-theme
tietoturvaopas
hidrocarburos
trail-gear
zipwall
dcbt
nicklas
primenet2010
mateusneves
aceplomb-ural
quatangbatngo
goethe-gesellschaft
medsitesrl
snuevos
royaldogetoken
cityofwildwood
kani-kau
belgianeyes
togetherworkshops
datalog
tomvernon
seiscomp
admiral
thinkhelis
livebaji
gabriellacatano
myposseineffect
comsharp
titibate
webnotize
hotstovenewyork
ninjaticdoodles
whartonny
bebemotto
fnbodirect
nortonloginz
jonasmekas
pinkpowerart
mimi-crealoisirs
tinyandlittle
tandd
yxglez
maggie-li
passioncapital
leafletjs-cdn
alibabacloud
agenergo
gadmachine
sandiego-shutters
olgunescort
deetjens
theanimaleffect
thestabilitynetwork
gibritte
aksa
rostumwandler-test
thebbbawards