Yesterday evening, I attended an event with one of my favourite speakers – Dr Dumisani Magadlela. He is a highly respected South African expert in the area of Ubuntu Intelligence and has touched many lives with his wisdom. Dumi’s simplest definition of Ubuntu for the layman is: I am who I am because of who you are. In other words, we are who we are because of our collective experience. He is HUGELY against the idea putting people in boxes and labelling them – which is something that we marketers like to do, because it makes things nice and easy for us. It makes the job of marketing that much simpler to be able to group / box / generalise about people, their traits, their habits and so on.
But I had a bit of an epiphany this morning after last night’s conversation had time to fester in my brain, and I realised that Dumi’s resistance to putting people in boxes had some merit. If I think of my existing and potential clients, I am who I am because of who they are and because of what they need and are missing in their lives, businesses or practices. We are incredibly interconnected – not in a master/servant way, not in a client/service-provider way, but in a partnership. We are who we are because of each other. If we suspend our hierarchical or power constructs for a moment, we will realise that we are equals.
Let me give you an example: I do not claim to have any financial acumen whatsoever. I have certainly picked up bits and pieces along the way, but I rely on the specialist expertise of my teams of Chartered Accountants and Auditors to do what they specialise in so that I can focus on what I am good at, and I am quite happy to pay them for their expertise (if anyone is looking for some great accountants, I can give some good recommendations). They’re partners in making my business a success.
By the same token, I spend a lot of time studying my field and new developments so that I can offer my clients sound, practical advice that helps them market their businesses without spending a cent. I want them to be able to lose their anxiety about marketing their businesses, and be able to focus on what they are really great at.
What is YOUR relationship like with your clients? Are you who and where you are because of the relationship that you have? Are you part of YOUR clients’ success formula or are you a grudge purchase?
About Niche Intelligence with Megan Hudson
WHERE CAN I HELP YOU:
If you're a coach, consultant or service entrepreneur, I help you:
~ Build momentum in your business immediately by using my systematic approach to attracting clients and making sales;
~ Find and define your niche so that you attract your ideal clients easily;
~ Get clear on your messaging so that it's easy for you to tell people what you do, and how you can help them;
~ Learn how to make your coaching practice stand out in an over-crowded marketplace.
WHAT DO I SPECIALISE IN:
I specialise in helping coaches and consultants identify your niche using the V.O.I.C.E model that I've developed over more than a decades' worth of experience and practice - because we all have a VOICE. We just need to learn how to use it.
My signature 12 week training course: The Marketing & Sales Accelerator for Coaches and Consultants pays for itself, with clients reporting an almost immediate return on investment through an influx of new business. Sound like something you could do with? Follow this link: https://bit.ly/2OvDPkX
I also have a short self-study online course to help you find, define and refine your niche so that potential clients say: "That's EXACTLY who I want to work with", and sign you up as their coach. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/2NuEu78
To get a taste of my level of experience and expertise, you can download my useful, practical free guide: 5 Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Coaching Practice Without Spending a Cent here: https://bit.ly/2LOSY0u
WHAT'S MY EXPERIENCE:
My professional experience has been in the fields of marketing, advertising and PR, with over a decade in brand marketing and advertising. Having run my own businesses since 2001, I'm an experienced entrepreneur with management and business coaching, and training expertise, and have upscaled my business globally online at www.nicheintelligence.co.za.
I have a degree in Politics and Languages, and qualified as a coach in 2001. I am also a qualified Ethologist, with a degree through an Onderstepoort-affiliated body, as well as having studied Psychology though UNISA.
In addition to having been retained by COMENSA (the national professional body for coaches and mentors in South Africa) on a national basis in Marketing, PR, Special Projects & Social Media on and off since 2009, I run a number of successful businesses including a property business, a specialist marketing consultancy, and a marketing training company (developed in 2001) aimed at SME’s but tailored specifically to Coaches & Mentors.
As external specialist consultant to COMENSA, the professional body for coaching and mentoring in SA for 7 years, and a founding co-editor and -publisher of SA Coaching News, a South African coaching magazine, coaching is in my DNA.
I have also had online businesses since 2004, which have been the testing ground for many of the tricks that I teach my students. My teaching philosophy is to practically test something before it teach it, and to simplify as much as possible.
I understand my typical client's aversion to publicity and also to the overwhelm that the whole online world represents, and so I work one-on-one with my clients to take successive baby steps to achieve an ideal balance of privacy and publicity.
I strongly believe in contributing to South Africa and to its growth, and have run my SME Marketing course free of charge for a number of non-profit organisations. Because it delivers immediate results, the SME's that are able to grow their businesses, earn more money and create more employment.
In addition, because MY clients' practices become more successful, I am able to impact on unemployment by creating opportunities for my clients to afford to outsource, work virtually or employ people to do work that they don't want to do.
I've been a guest lecturer on many coaching and related programmes and have appeared in the media: on radio, TV, in specialist and consumer magazines and in the press.
For more details, and to see what people have to say about my work, visit my website: www.nicheintelligence.co.za or check out my YouTube Channel here for free online marketing training resources: https://bit.ly/34cmA18
M H Consulting: Market Your Business Without Spending a Cent 
Reblogged this on Gigable – Tech Blog.
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