I was talking with a potential client last week.  We were talking about her frustration with her business.

Despite my best efforts to stop her, she was well into a rather long-winded story about how she doesn’t really understand why her business is doing so poorly, because she has such a positive attitude.  She said that no matter what happens she looks on the bright side.  She loses a potential client, she stays optimistic; she bungles a potential deal, she doesn’t let it throw her; she runs out of money in her business account, she doesn’t sweat it.

She had a great sense of pride as she told me this.  I gently asked her, “So what do you learn, and what do you do differently when these things happen?” There was silence on the other end of the phone.  I relaxed into the silence while she thought. Then, in a small voice which was quavering a little, she said, “Well, nothing really, I guess.  I just try to keep a positive frame of mind and hope it all works out.”

Really?  She hopes it all works out!?!

Hope is not a strategy! It became crystal clear why this smart, talented woman has a business that was going nowhere.  Yes, mindset is extremely important—you hear that from me all the time.  Attitude is important, too—but contrary to popular belief, attitude is NOT everything!  Strategy, focus, smart planning, execution, daily action—that’s everything!

And here’s what else I know for sure—this woman is not the only one. I can’t tell you how many variations of this I hear from women every week as I talk to them about their businesses.

So here are three quick ways to get clients into your business now, so you don’t have to rely on “hope.”

1.  Define your tribe, your peeps, your niche.

Who can you help the most?  Who would you love working with?  The place where those intersect is your tribe.

For me, it’s women entrepreneurs.  Can I help men?  Sure.  Do I love working with them?  Not nearly as much as I love working with women.  Do I turn men away?  No.  Do I market to them, and target my copy to them.  Nope—I target my marketing and my copy to my perfect target market—my peeps.  You.

2.  Get out and speak.

Yes, you! Speaking is one of the fastest paths to clients and cash.  It positions you as an expert, lets you talk to audiences made up of your perfect target market, and gives you an opportunity to sell to them in a way that’s not “pushy” or “sales-y.”  Client attraction just doesn’t get any better than this.  You get to speak to people “one-to-many” instead of just “one-to-one.”

Know the purpose of your speech, fine-tune your message until it’s crystal clear, develop your signature speech, and get the skills to deliver it powerfully.  As I often say, though—the only thing than not speaking is getting out there and doing it badly.

Make sure you have a solid speech and great delivery skills, then get out there and share your message.

3.  Know your numbers.

Yep, I know it’s math, but do it anyway.  Figure out how much money you want to make in your business each month.  Then figure out how many clients it will take to hit that number.

If your closing ratio is, for example, 50%, you have to talk to twice as many people that month as you need clients.  If your closing ratio is 25%, you need to talk to four times as many.

Then, figure out where those people will come from.  Networking, speaking, reaching out to former clients, and asking for referrals are all good methods of getting leads.

So there you have it–three tips to take you beyond a “positive attitude” and “hope.” to solid strategy and action.  It’s up to you to take the next step.

Please share the action you will take below.  How will you add solid strategy and action to your positive frame of mind?  What’s your first step?

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