CLARK’S HIERARCHY OF LEADS

 

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?