Image Source: J. Lo's Twitter @JLo ...

Well, this may come as a surprise to many of you but … yes, I readily admit that I watched American Idol the other night….

And while I enjoyed watching the talent (and was taken aback by some of the shameless drama among the contestants), the most spectacular moment on the show was when J. Lo. (aka Jennifer Lopez) was consoling a group of contestants who had found out that they were going home.

She said something along the lines of:

“Anytime I went for an audition, I’d say to myself:
‘I may not get this one, but I’ll make them a fan.’”

And that’s why J.Lo. is a blockbuster success!

And that’s the attitude that stimulates profits!

You see, I learned early on from marketing genius, Jay Abraham, that people become clients at their own time (not yours).

Even if they don’t buy the first time you try to sell them, you must be able to deliver a great value or benefit in your contact with them … enough so, that even if they don’t buy today – they either will be a paying customer/client sometime in the future or they will refer business to you in one fashion or another.

Look, I can honestly say that I have never purchased one of J. Lo’s songs, but when I hear her sing on the radio, it’s not unusual for me to say “Wow! She’s such a fantastic artist!”

So, even though I’ve never become a paid customer of J.Lo. (yet), through my endorsement of her talent, I’m more likely going to drive more sales to her among my peers and circle of influence, just by my high opinion of her.

Let’s take another example ….

I was talking with a client who currently sells a several thousand dollar educational product.

Several years ago, he had a customer who purchased his course and promptly asked for a refund.

99% of businesses would look at that customer as a lost cause, a nuisance and an expense.

But, by focusing on making that customer a fan of the business (regardless if he kept the course or not), this customer not only referred other business to my client … but, years later, came back and repurchased the course again at full price!

Remember, your success in business will be directly proportional to the level of great advantage, benefit, value and or profit you deliver to your clients and prospects.

Give them tips or helpful information that will enrich their lives, let them try a product demonstration so they can understand the value of your product, offer a small token of appreciation (like a hand-written thank you card) just to let them know you appreciate them, or make the experience with your business the ultimate experience and so forth.

Look at how many more ways you can contribute, benefit or create value for your clients, customers and prospects.

Do you think that the online behemoth, Google, built its business by only focusing on paying customers?  No way!  They invest millions of dollars developing free technologies just to further enrich the lives of their users … so that you’ll become a bigger fan of Google … so that you have more of a reason to continue using their services and invite your friends to join you.

If you’re a “rockstar” in your business with an enthusiastic fan base – there’s only 2 probable outcomes:

1.      Prospects will become customers and customers will become better customers and/or

2.      They’ll refer other clients/customers to you.

If someone has found value in your product or service, it’s only natural human behavior that those same people will want to share that value with others.

People talk. People make referrals. People made decisions at different times.

Make your customers and prospects raving fans and it’s inevitable that your business will grow beyond your wildest expectations.