Many of my coaching clients provide services that are helpful for a wide range of people. When I work with them to focus on their target market, they often resist because they believe that narrowing their target audience limits their chances of getting new clients.

I understand their point of view.

One of my coaching programs is based on Positive Psychology. I designed this unique program to support my clients so they can cultivate and keep a positive mindset in spite of their many challenges and adversities.

I know that most people can benefit from a program like mine. Yet, if I don’t define a target market, I will have trouble to get booked solid. Let me explain why…

You Have Climbed the Mountain

Imagine a huge mountain. This mountain represents the many challenges your clients have to overcome. They are stuck and don’t know what to do next. Because you have already climbed the mountain, you know what’s possible. You know the benefits that people will get when they work with you.

Most of your potential clients are overwhelmed, have doubts, and fears. Your challenge is to connect with them at a deeper level. If you create marketing material that tries to match everyone’s needs, it is much more difficult to enroll the clients you want.

As a coach or consultant, you have to choose a place from which you want to begin to attract your clients. A client who starts off from the forested side of the mountain has a very different perspective from someone who starts from an arid desert valley. Put yourself in your clients’ shoes.

Identify and describe in detail their needs and desires from their unique and personal perspective, as you use their own words.

From that personalized connection you will start to attract a similar group of potential clients who identify with your unique style. It will be easier to understand and communicate how you can help them, as you create enough trust and credibility so they want to buy from you.

Learn From Your Own Experiences

Think about your own past experience when you bought a service or program. Remember how you felt when the person that led that program spoke to your feelings, needs, desires and aspirations. That person’s understanding of your exact wants and needs sealed the deal. If you repeat this process with your potential clients, you will build their trust and enroll them with ease. 

The Moral Is…

If you don’t have a target market, define one. Yes, it’s as simple as that.

Grab a copy of Book Yourself Solid Illustrated and do the exercises in the book. The Book Yourself Solid system will help you identify your target market and get you booked solid.

The author of this post, Ana Melikian, Ph.D, is an Elite Book Yourself Solid® Certified Coach who specializes in empowering coaches and consultants to get more clients online with ease and joy. 

You imagine what’s possible and other people open the doors to opportunity.

That’s the way it works.

It’s why I believe so strongly in doing the following two things daily:

1. Introducing two people to each other who might find each other relevant.
2. Sharing relevant information with at least one person.

Those are just two of the many the networking strategies you’ll discover in Book Yourself Solid Illustrated.

BUT… there’s a problem.

You know it’s great for expanding your influence but you don’t do it regularly.

That’s why I worked with Contactually, an easy to use keep in touch software, to include the Book Yourself Solid networking strategies. It doesn’t replace your CRM or your newsletter programs—it enhances them.

Maybe, this way, you’ll keep in touch with the people that can help you achieve your dreams. If you’re new to business, you might not yet realize the importance of your network.

For example, Book Yourself Solid Illustrated was released worldwide and within a few days became a #1 bestseller.

Why?

Sure, I’ve built a massive brand identity around Book Yourself Solid, but how?

Through my relationships, that’s how.

Something like a book is initially successful because influential people are willing to talk about it. Once the buzz gets going then the quality of the product makes or breaks its shelf life.

But without partners who are willing to help you promote it at the onset, you don’t get noticed. You don’t get a chance to show off the quality of your product or service.

That’s why the two simple but oh so powerful networking strategies I detail above are essential.

One of my partners at Contactually has put together two Youtube videos that show you how to use the system to make your introductions and share articles.

HOWEVER, when you sign up for a 30-DAY FREE trial of the software, you MUST use this link:

http://www.contactually.com/bys

…or else you won’t get the Book Yourself Solid features.

Resources:

How to share SHARE ARTICLES in Contactually the Book Yourself Solid way.

How to MAKE INTRODUCTIONS in Contactually the Book Yourself Solid way.

I laid out my simple four-part formula for you, using a load of illustrations (created by Jocelyn Wallace) from my new book: Book Yourself Solid Illustrated (if you click that link, be sure to check out the insane launch bonuses!)

Today we’re going to build on that work, and forge your own unique and unforgettable personal brand identity. All the images in this post come from my new book, as well.

Having a strong personal brand identity is crucial. It’s how you distinguish yourself from everybody else.

There might be lots of other financial advisors out there, or small business consultants, or copywriters, or web designers … but there’s only one YOU. So let’s play that up!

After all … if you water yourself down too much there’ll be nothing left to get excited about …

The Book Yourself Solid 3-Step Formula For Building A Strong Personal Brand

Firstly, you need a “who and do what statement.”

Now, most service professionals will lead with their job title. But you don’t want to do that.

Instead of saying, for example, “I’m a business coach,” you want to build a two-part phrase around your TARGET MARKET and the SINGLE BIGGEST RESULT you offer them (see yesterday’s post if you need help with this).

So your who and do what statement, if you were a business coach, would be something like: “I help small business owners get more clients”

Secondly, you need a strong REASON for doing what you do. This is your (wait for it) “why you do it statement.”

Nobody in the world will have EXACTLY the same reason as you for why they do what they do, so this is your opportunity to let your best people know why you get up in the morning.

If your prospects resonate with your motivation – or they recognize something of themselves in you – then you’ll win trust quicker and differentiate yourself sooner.

Lastly – and this is one that you can have a lot of fun with – is your tagline.

Your tagline will be how you are truly known in the world. Every time you hear somebody refer to you and your tagline, you’ll cry tears of joy. It should be based on your why you do it statement, but stand alone in its own right. Mostly: it should be memorable.

 

It might take a little time to come up with your tagline, but if you brainstorm enough and allow yourself to have a lot of fun, the right one for you will come along.

My tagline is “The Guy To Call When You’re Tired Of Thinking Small.®” It represents everything I want to be known for … and you’ll notice that it doesn’t have much at all to do with my who and do what statement.

Your PERSONAL brand identity is so much more than just who you serve and what you help them do. It’s what makes you uniquely you. It’s an expression of what you stand for.

Think big when it comes to personal branding!

In Book Yourself Solid Illustrated there are a whole load of extra resources – including exercises and workbooks – for you to work out exactly how to position yourself in the market. It’s available right now and if you check out this link here you’ll see all the launch bonuses that you can get!

After all, if you don’t get it, then why should your prospective clients?

I’m serious about that — if you can’t succinctly summarize why your services are worth investing in, then you’ve got a WHOLE lot of groundwork to do.

Luckily for you, I’m here to help

I’m going to break down some important business-building concepts for you over the next few days. The illustrations included in these posts are from my newly released, Book Yourself Solid ILLUSTRATED. (If you click on the link be sure to check out all the bonuses that come with the book.) 

PLUS … I aim to do it in as few words as possible. First…

Identify Your TARGET MARKET

Your TARGET MARKET is the group of people that you serve. It’s distinct from your NICHE (although the two are frequently confused).

• Your niche = WHAT you do (your speciality)

• Your target market = WHO you do it for

Keep your target market tight. It’s better to be a big fish in a small pond … at least at first … you can eat more minnows that way

As a result, a lot of people have been asking me about how I went about doing exactly that.

To answer that, I can only say that I was really, really lucky to get to work with Jocelyn Wallace — one of the best visual strategists in the game. Together we turned Book Yourself Solid into Book Yourself Solid ILLUSTRATED.

But there are loads of other tools you can use to create your own visual resources so you get your message across faster and with more impact.

Here are some of my favorite visual learning tools.

Six Visual Learning Tools That Will Get You Marketing Faster And Smarter

1. Prezi

Prezi is a powerful alternative to Powerpoint. Instead of linear, slide-by-slide presentations, you can create presentation “maps” that allow you to zoom in and out around a huge canvas and display your presentation in a more interesting, engaging way.

I use Prezi during my Keynote speechs and workshops but I also use it to create videos. This one includes some of the killer visuals from Book Yourself Solid Illustrated. You should know, however, that you can’t make a video using Prezi alone. I record my prezi along with a voice-over using ScreenFlow for mac. You can also use Camtasia.

2. Sparkol Videoscribe

When I met Jocelyn Walker, my co-author on Book Yourself Solid Illustrated, she was “live-tooning” an event I attended. I was impressed. This method of tying in visual learning with the spoken word was made popular recently by the RSA Animate series. It’s sometimes called “fast drawing” or “whiteboard animation.”

Videoscribe is a smart piece of software that allows you to recreate your own “RSA-style” videos. Check out their sample below.

Bonus: here’s a great post from Pat Flynn over at Smart Passive Income: DIY Videoscribing And Other Awesome Techniques To Enhance Your Videos

3. Piktochart Infographic Creator

Infographics are all the rage for good, scientific reasons. Not a day goes by when your Facebook feed isn’t full of beautifully designed images that include charts and quantitative information.

Piktochart is a drag-and-drop WYSIWGY (what you see is what you get) infographic creator. It comes pre-loaded with high-quality graphics and 80 themes.

This image – fittingly about infographics themselves – was created with Piktochart.

4. Visual.ly

Visual.ly also creates infographics, and visual representations of your data. It can connect to your social media accounts, or Google Analytics account, and give you a full visual overview of what’s actually going in behind the raw numbers.

Check out this infographic – a visual representation of LinkedIn data for Matthew Kimberley, the Head of the Book Yourself Solid School of Coach Training.

5. Memrise

Memrise is one of the coolest resources I’ve seen in a long time.

“The Memrise community uses images & science to make learning easy and fun.” – which means we share EXACTLY the same philosophy. They have interactive classrooms where you can learn anything from math and science to Spanish and German.

My friend Tim Ferriss just ran a $10k memory competition over there – it’s finished now but you can still take the course – and I know of at least one person who’s taking part in the Memrise Guardian Chinese Challenge.

6. Readitfor.me

I really wish that this site had existed years ago when I was doing most of my business book reading.

As the name suggests, Readitfor.me is a site that summaries some of the most popular and highly-regarded business and personal development books in an easy-to-digest audiovisual format.

The video on their homepage is well-worth checking out.

(By the way, that’s an affiliate link, which means if you go ahead and use their service I might get a referral fee.)

 What to do next:

If you’re a visual learner like me, grab a copy of Book Yourself Solid Illustrated. There are some really cool bonuses available with every single purchase (all details here). If you grab ten copies today you can bring a friend to a free live event I’m hosting in Philly on April 20th (more details.)

Then, share in the comments what your favorite visual learning tools are. I’d love to hear from you!

I also wrote the The Contrarian Effect, Beyond Booked Solid and the NY Times Bestseller, The Think Big Manifesto.

Even though these books have been on the bestseller lists and have won awards, no matter how much good advice I put into a book, I can’t guarantee that people will finish the book—even when they love it.

Why?

It’s the question I’ve obsessed on or years.

And then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

Not everyone loves to read, at least not business books.

And why should they? I mean … these are business books not 50 Shades of Gray. Although, inspiring, I’m not writing The Great American Novel.

Moreover, most people are visual learners.

This was really one of those, “Duh, of course!” moments: make the books visual. Get rid of most of the text and draw the concepts so they’re easy to understand and act upon.

One teensy, weensy, itty-bitty issue: I’m no good at drawing. So, I hooked up with Jocelyn Wallace, a visual strategist and an artist of immense talent.

One year later… Book Yourself Solid ILLUSTRATED was born. It’s available anywhere books are sold. It even comes with a killer web app.

It’s a completely visual guide to getting more clients than you can handle (even if you hate marketing and selling).

Of course, there is still some supporting text but studies show that we retain WAY more if we can attach what we read to a visual hook.

Go to www.BookYourselfSolidIllustrated.com to see sample pages, learn how to get the app along with other rockin’ resources.

You’ll be glad you did.

They’re UNFORGETTABLE, aren’t they? They’ve stuck with you for life.

Now, alongside your Dr. Seuss collection − The Cat In The Hat, Horton Hears A Who!, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! −  you have a handful of business books. Probably some really good ones by my favorite authors like Jim Collins, Seth Godin, Tom Peters and Dan Pink.

Hey, you might even have a copy of Book Yourself Solid and/or one of my other books. 

These business books are jam-packed with useful ideas, concepts and strategies for growing your business.

But − and I say this with the utmost love and respect to my colleagues − they’re not as memorable as Dr. Seuss.

I only need mention The Cat In The Hat and you form a strong visual image in your head − an image of a tall, skinny feline with a red bow tie and a striped stovepipe hat.

But the image is just the beginning. If you read and loved this book as a kid (or as an adult) you’ll conjure up an entire narrative to go with it.

You’ll recall – instantly – the story of the two kids left alone at home while their mom is off running errands. You’ll recall the slightly mischievous (maybe even sinister?) arrival of the cat and his Things. You’ll remember the balancing act and the disapproving domestic fish.

This is for a number of reasons.

FIRSTLY: Seuss wrote in rhyme and rhyme aids recall. He was a masterful at putting words together. My tagline: “The Guy To Call When You’re Tired Of Thinking Small®” doesn’t rhyme by accident. What about yours?

You know how you can remember songs so much better than passages from novels? That’s one of the reasons. The other reason is the music − the anchoring of one set of data to another − more on that in a moment.

SECONDLY: Seuss cut ideas to the core and used  the fewest possible words to get his message across. (Did you know Green Eggs And Ham contains only fifty words?) His stories could have been complex, they could have been novel-length and they could have introduced a myriad of characters and scenarios. But they didn’t.

That’s another reason you remember them so well…

They’re simple − but meaningful.

THIRDLY: images. Images, images. He has luxurious, fun and colorful images on every page of his books. You know without even concentrating what the Cat looks like.

You can picture the curly, furry fingers of the Grinch. Horton’s droopy, floppy ears and the miniscule mayor of Whoville.

But more than that – the images plant the story firmly in your brain, so it becomes a part of your subconscious.

This is the data-anchoring that memory masters use when they’re trying to remember the order of shuffled decks of cards, or pi to the nearest 400 digits. They associate each card, or number, with an unusual image or location. There isn’t a memory champion in the world who doesn’t use this technique.

If you’re a marketer of any stripe or definition, you’ll know the importance of visually appealing material. The marketing you do raises awareness about the services you offer. We want our marketing to be sticky.

Take note from Dr. Seuss – the stickiest of storytellers – and get visual.

Craft beautiful, simple narratives and tie them into your message. Pare your words down to their essence. Use fewer of them.

As a teacher of marketing, I want my lessons to be as sticky as Seuss and as compelling. I may not be quite that clever but I continue to try harder than ever.

That’s why re-designed Book Yourself Solid from a regular book to a picture book for grown ups.

Book Yourself Solid Illustrated is designed specifically to help you remember the concepts from the system that has already proven itself many times over.

To help you remember that full self-expression is the key to your success, I introduce you to blue Elvis. He’s one cool character.

To make sure you don’t water yourself down I show you an image you won’t soon forget (and may even give you a little chuckle).

There are two main takeaways from this post:

1. I know the new ILLUSTRATED edition of Book Yourself Solid will knock your socks off while getting you booked solid and I want you to buy it.
2. I want you to think about how you can use visuals to improve your marketing, sales and, most importantly, the consumption of your work.

Because I, for one, truly believe that a business is a business, no matter how small

But before we begin, whatever you do, don’t think about elephants.

Alright? Just a small thing I’m asking. Don’t think about elephants.

You can think about anything else, but not elephants.

You still with me?

And how you doing on that not thinking about elephants?

Not too good, I’ll bet?

That’s OK. Don’t beat yourself up: it’s your brain doing that – not you.

(UPDATE: I’ve just learned that this is a book about politics that uses the title, Don’t Think About Elephants by George Lakoff.)

Back to the post…

In fact, our brains are pretty good at keeping strong visuals in our head.

So much so, that when we attach strong visuals to other concepts: thoughts, learning, concepts, systems, ideas … we retain them MUCH better.

This is a big deal when it comes to goal setting and business building.

Visual images can help you to get clear and stay focused on achieving your biggest goals, in business and in life.

Visual anchoring works because you are much more likely to take action when you can see exactly where you’re going and how to get there. It’s a concept called “Positive Image – Positive Action.”

So I got to thinking about how I could use this concept alongside Book Yourself Solid, to make it more effective, more memorable…stickier”

When I met Jocelyn Wallace, I knew how I was going to do it.

Jocelyn is a visual strategist: she creates images that reinforce ideas. When I saw what she was capable of (it’s uh-maze-ing), I knew exactly what I needed to do.

I asked Jocelyn if she would help me create a visual edition of Book Yourself Solid®—a picture book, of sorts.

And she did. And it rocks.

Book Yourself Solid ILLUSTRATED gives you visual images for every step of the Book Yourself Solid system.

We cut about two-thirds of the text of my best seller, Book Yourself Solid, so she could translate the system into positive images so you can take rapid positive action and get booked solid faster.

Most of the critical steps in the Book Yourself Solid system are about getting a clear picture of who you are, who you serve, and where you’re going to find the clients that are right for you.

But it’s not just about you, it’s also about helping your ideal clients get a clear picture that you’re the right person to help them act on their goals.

Get the picture? It’s all about creating positive images to drive positive action. So in Book Yourself Solid Illustrated, we provide positive visual images for each part of the process. 

For example, take the over-view of the Book Yourself Solid system: 

Here’s an example of how we summarize the 6 Core Self-promotion strategies in just one visual image:

We even give you easy visual ways to organize and implement the exercises into action steps:

Book Yourself Solid Illustrated is a complete visual makeover of Book Yourself Solid. I created it to give you a storehouse of positive visual images so you can access the complete system faster, and act on it to get more clients than you can handle, even if you hate marketing and selling.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. It’s an honor to be of service. I never take your time or attention for granted. I feel I have to continue to earn it and I hope I have with Book Yourself Solid Illustrated.

Now you can go back to thinking about those elephants…

Available anywhere books are sold. 

Learn more at www.BookYourselfSolidIllustrated.com

There is also a BOOK YOURSELF SOLID MOBILE APP that goes with the book.

You can also attend a LIVE EVENT with Michael Port for FREE.

Learn more at www.BookYourselfSolidIllustrated.com

Looking back on my life, there isn’t too much I regret. But, there is one thing…I regret not following through on my acting career.

I was right on the cusp of break-through success and I quit. I threw up my hands and quit. I was so close and I quit.

In 1997, as a 27 year-old “working” actor, I was on shows like Sex & The City, Law&Order, Third Watch, All My Children, and more. I did TV commercials for companies like Budweiser and tons of VoiceOvers for companies like AT&T.

At first, I put everything into my acting career. I attended one of the best graduate school in the country. I had a great agent. I was on the cusp of doing big things.

But I quit.

I couldn’t take the rejection. I didn’t like waiting around or leaving my future in the hands of others: casting directors, agents, producers, etc.

If I’m going to be honest about it, I felt alone and scared. So, I gave up and quit.

I remember the day I told my agent. I heard a thunk (quite literally) when his jaw hit his desk. I was right at the cusp of going from working actor to known actor but I wouldn’t go all the way.

I wouldn’t follow through. I wouldn’t take the time necessary to build something real. I gave up.

I tell you this story — and, it’s not one I often tell — because I don’t want you to look back on your life and have a shred of regret. I don’t want you to quit — whatever it is you’re doing — unless you have a more important dream — then quit the worthless thing and pursue the worthwhile thing.

Bottom line: it takes far more fortitude to finish something than it does to start it, especially as an entrepreneur. And that’s why I’m successful today. I will no longer give up. I’ve learned my lesson.

It’s possible likely you are feeling pressure in your business are wondering if you should go on. You must. You cannot quit. You can not give up.

Sure, you might say, it’s easier for me because I’ve already passed the early hurdles of entrepreneurship. But I too face my own personal and professional challenges while finding new opportunities to build the business, extend my brand and be of service to you.

I want to help you do the same. Maybe you’ll let me mentor you in The Alliance. I’ll get you finishing what you start. That’s for sure.

Maybe you won’t let me mentor you. But, man, I’ll tell you… if I had a mentor who’d already accomplished what I wanted to accomplish when I was an actor, I probably wouldn’t be writing this to you today. That’s why I’m so committed to helping you finish what you start. I don’t want you to give up. I don’t want you to fail.

And, please, don’t get me wrong, I love the work I do today and I’m not going back to acting. But failing, and having regrets that you didn’t follow through on a dream, is something you want to avoid at all costs.