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Business Exit Ready

Key 4 of 9 ยท Customers

Marketing

Attract the right customers. A-grade clients, not whoever rings.

Nine Keys wheel: 1 Strategy, 2 Administration, 3 Money, 4 Marketing, 5 Sales, 6 Service, 7 Systems, 8 Team, 9 LeadershipStrategyAdministrationMoneyMarketingSalesServiceSystemsTeamLeadership

What this Key covers

  • Who your best customers are
  • What you offer them, in words they understand
  • Where your enquiries come from
  • What each kind of marketing costs, and what it brings in

Who it matters most for

Owners whose work comes mostly from word of mouth and their own name. That works, until you want to step back.

What a buyer may ask

"Do leads come in without the owner's name or network?"

If customers come because they know you, a buyer worries they'll stop coming when you go. A steady flow of work that doesn't rely on you is worth more.

Three questions to ask yourself

  1. 1Where did my last ten good customers come from?
  2. 2Who is my offer for, and who is it not for?
  3. 3What would happen to enquiries if I stopped answering the phone?

Why it matters to you

You attract A-grade customers, not whoever rings. Work comes in steadily, even when you're not the one bringing it in.

A practical first step

Write down where every enquiry comes from for the next month. At the end of the month, see which ones brought the work you want.