Let me introduce you to what I [humbly] call Clark’s Hierarchy of Leads...
- this is a tool that I have developed over the last three years which enables me to diagnose where a business client is. While I explain this I would invite you to ask yourself which stage are you on because that gives you strategies and tips on what to focus on next.
The four
stages are called surviving, striving, thriving, and inspiring and they are
measured by annual income.
Surviving is
classed as up to 20K, striving is between 21 and 40 K, thriving is between 41
and 80 k, and inspiring is 81 to 100k per year and up.
Now at the bottom of the pyramid people I speak
to typically have more time to spare than money. The guys and gals at the top
of the pyramid have the opposite situation – they have plenty of money, but
they have no time.
The survivors are typically overwhelmed, they
never have enough time or money, but they usually have more time than money.
They have goals but they are starting to believe that it's just a pipe dream, so
they market sporadically. They often live on self-help books and follow all the
gurus, spending the money they do earn on courses and training which they hope
will increase the income. Very often they are qualified and extremely good at
what they do - perhaps even world-class, but they have few if any clients who
know that.
My recommendations are that they start by
setting very clear and specific goals , they identify who their target market
Avatar is in specific detail and they get to know the marketplace i.e. what is
selling, what’s their competition doing, what are people buying, what do people
want? It’s much easier to give the marketplace what it wants than invent
something and try and find someone to flog It to.
The strivers have had some success but their
head is full and they're still overwhelmed, jumping from Shiny Toy to Shiny
Toy. They may have some marketing and sales and operational systems in place
but these are usually like jigsaw pieces rattling about in a box, a bit here
and a bit there so they experience months of drought and months of abundance in
a feast or famine cycle which makes it exciting… but stressful. As a result they
are often feeling a bit jaded, as if “what's the point?”
Typical solutions
I recommend is that they get very clear on their origin story and why they are
uniquely qualified to do what they do, they develop a clear message that will
resonate with their target market, and they do everything they can to increase
their visibility and outreach – that means social media, networking and the
other 52 ways of getting clients.
The thrivers are typically making 41 k and
above anywhere up to 80k – these guys are impatient - they are making money but they want to take it
to the next level so they are restless, always looking for the next edge, the
next smart strategy. They have success stories, testimonials, they may even be
known in their field for what they do, but it's still not enough.
Keys to
success include sharing their success stories when they’re networking, in
video, on podcasts, endorsements on LinkedIn, reviews on Google and Facebook to
prove their credibility. They're still working an hour at a time for an hour’s
pay – linear income - so it is smart to introduce them to multiple income
streams – residual income - including creating a product like a book, or an online
course that makes them money while they sleep so they don't have to work harder
but they can make more money in the same time. This is the level where the
business grows and develops solid marketing strategies so there is a funnel in
place, there is constant prospecting, there is a sales process, referral
systems and customers are looked after effectively.
Earning 81k
and above are inspiring - these guys are well known in their fields, they have
a good reputation and they are proud of the impact they are having on hundreds
if not thousands of people – there may even be a waiting list to get on board
with them.
To grow even
further then it's time to look at scaling-up - in particular their marketing so
that more people in more markets know who they are. That may mean vertical marketing
going deeper into their chosen niche, or horizontal marketing where they help
different avatars with similar issues. Collaborating with other businesses such
as Joint Ventures and host relationships, outsourcing a lot of the work to the
team who can multiply the efforts of the owner. Perhaps they can automate their
existing systems to free up manpower and let the computers and robots do what
they're built for, as well as developing systems that make the business run
more efficiently and effectively.
So having covered the four levels - you’ll know your level of your income in the
last 12-months, you should be able to identify what level you’re on and I'd be
interested to hear your comments or feedback on Clark’s Hierarchy of Leads?
