adminGuest post written by Chris Luna
Chris Luna is the founder of Craft of Charisma, a dating and relationship coaching company.
In 2007, I co-founded a commercial real-estate finance company in Stockton, California. While it was a great concept for a business, the timing was anything but ideal. When the real-estate market collapsed, I knew it was time to get a fresh start. Not only did I change focus, I also changed coasts and moved to New York to go back to school full-time. With a full schedule of classes, I didn’t have time for a 9-to-5 job, but still needed to work. My friends have always told me that one of my strengths is interacting with new people, so, in an about-face from real estate, I founded a dating and relationship coaching company, Craft of Charisma, in 2009.
Since I’ve been coaching people professionally, I’ve found that business is a lot like dating. Whether it be a significant other or business owner, everyone must go through a courting process to not only get someone’s attention, but to establish a long-lasting relationship. Here are a few key fundamentals that have translated from my relationship coaching to the way I run my business:
- Attract your customer’s attention.
Everyone has something to offer: a great personality, knowledge about a certain field, or, in the case of a business, a product or service. The key is matching what you have to offer with someone who wants or needs it. I’ve found that online advertising is a helpful tool in attracting attention to my business. I use Google AdWords to select certain keywords that I anticipate my customers will use when they search for a dating coach in New York City. When a person’s search term matches the keywords I’ve selected, Google will display my ad, allowing a customer to click through to my site. Think of keywords as your pick-up lines: the first words that set the tone for a conversation.
- Get to know each other.
In the case of a business, that means inviting your potential customer back to your website to learn more about what you have to offer. When someone hits your landing page, the content they find should be relevant to your ad. For example, if you’ve attracted someone by presenting yourself as a plumber, your landing page needs to feature plumbing services. It never pays to be misleading. Without substance behind your ad, a customer will become disinterested, and all the time, effort, and resources you spent leading up to the click-through will have been wasted. Google Analytics helps me figure out what works for my site and what doesn’t. I can quickly see how long people are staying on my site, what regions visitors are coming from, and which pick-up lines — err, keywords — are attracting the most click-throughs.
- Flirt with your customer.
Don’t just talk, flirt! In addition to what you can do on your own site, you can also use social networks to interact with your customer on an individual basis. Social media is a great way for businesses big and small to interact with clients directly. Whether it be proposing topics in a discussion forum or answering dating questions on Twitter, I use social media to have a fun, intimate conversation with my potential customers. Once you get to know each other, you can take things to the next level.
- Seal the deal.
After the initial courting process, it’s time to seal the deal. Be upfront with your customer and let them know exactly what you want. If you want them to purchase a product online, make a product page that is easy to get to from the landing page. If you want them to call or e-mail about your service, put your contact information in plain sight and on every page. If you want them to come back to your website, ask them to enter their contact information so you can add them to your mailing list. You can promote these types of conversions by offering a reward. Some advertisers include promo codes within the text of their advertisements to offer free shipping or 10% off a purchase to woo customers who haven’t even clicked through to their website yet.
I’ve used these tactics to develop successful relationships with my own clients. I started my business flying solo, and since I’ve embraced online marketing, I’ve expanded my business and added to my team. I now have a great set of wingmen, including a psychologist, an image consultant, four new coaches, and a voice and body language specialist.
I hope these tips will help you in both your professional and personal endeavors. Just remember, there are lots of people out there your customer could choose from, so make sure you’re the one they click with.