5 Smart Ways to Use a Personal Approach to Grow Your Business
Patrick McFadden
In my opinion, the most powerful marketing you can use is a personal approach.
And while a daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly newsletter can be a great way to stay top-of-mind of your prospects and customers on a consistent basis, it shouldn’t be the ONLY way you reach out to your customers and prospects.
Marketing is a process, not an event. You must give prospects and customers what they desperately need: (Hint: A.I.T.)
- Give them Attention.
- Give them Information.
- Give them Time.
Now, with a little bit of time and effort, the following 5 smart ways can help you turn your personal approach into a top-of-mind and top-of-wallet engine , and give you the inside track to generating more business.
5 Smart Ways to Use a Personal Approach to Grow Your Business
- Send personalized one-to-one emails. I personally do this all the time, especially when I come across relevant and valuable articles. I usually share them. I also try to make it a habit to reach out to five connections each week with the sole purpose of saying hi, thank you, I see you got a promotion, wonder what you’ve been working on, etc., personal messages are a quick way to let a referral sources, prospects, colleagues, and customers know that they’re on your mind.
- Make a help phone call. Dial up some those people we referred to above just to ask if there’s anything else you can help them with. Many times they probably expect a phone call only when there’s a problem or when you’re trying to sell them something. It’s an unexpected way to delight a them.
- Ask for their opinion. Everyone loves to be heard,so ask for their opinion on a new product, service, or feature. This can be done informally or in a more structured way, such as giving them a short survey. People like having a say in these matters — they are, after all, the ones who will be using or referring the product or service and you will gain valuable insight.
- Send a gift. Understand how they like to receive information and then use that insight to personalize a gift. An audio CD (because they hate physical books) of the latest business bestseller, is a great example. It’s another way of giving the your network and customers value without asking for anything in return.
- Just say thanks. Every once in a while, just say thank you, this goes a long way.
Question: Do you see any value in this personal approach to grow your business?
1. The Challenge: VMI was like many service providers — positioning their value around what they thought clients wanted : “Office furniture installation and assembly — let us handle creating your perfect workspace.” But the actual buyers — facility managers, project managers, furniture reps — weren’t looking for “perfect workspaces.” They were trying to avoid installation nightmares . Their real priority? ✅ Great installation days. ✅ No chaos. ✅ No missed deadlines. ✅ No angry phone calls from clients. 2. The Insight: After conducting stakeholder interviews under our marketing strategy consulting engagement , the Indispensable Marketing team uncovered critical feedback: “We need installers who maintain a professional site and follow instructions.” “We lose relationships when installations go badly.” “I need quotes back quickly or I can’t sell the job.” This wasn’t just about services , it was about trust, problem-solving , and professional reliability . So we reframed their differentiators not by what they did, but how they showed up : Same-day project quotes Problem-solving on-site Update protocol with clients Professionalism guarantee Lasting Impression Insurance 3. The Shift: We shifted the positioning from vague benefits to real-world, emotional triggers : Instead of: “Let us create your perfect workspace.” Now: “Get the perfect installation day, every time.” That subtle shift aligns with who’s actually buying (and who feels the pain when things go wrong). The end-user may care about the workspace. But the buyer cares about the install . 4. The Lesson for Others: If you’re selling a service, don’t describe what you do. Describe what the client wants to avoid or achieve — and who the real buyer is. Then, systematize what you’re already doing well and give it a name. Just like our team did with: “Same Day Quotes” “Lasting Impression Insurance” “Reliable Presence Protocol” 5. The Outcome Within weeks of updating their messaging and positioning: The company reported more qualified leads asking the right questions Furniture reps began referring them because they were “easy to work with and made them look good” They were shortlisted for larger, multi-phase projects due to increased confidence in their process But most importantly, they stopped competing on price — because they weren’t selling perfect workspaces anymore. They were selling peace of mind on installation day.
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