The CEO and founder of Clients on Demand, Russell Ruffino is a modern-day magician to his followers, leveraging the power of online advertising for business transformation. Russell Ruffino is a staunch adherent of online marketing and he devotes tremendous time and effort tapping into this pool to better serve his clients. He sat down with us for an informative Q&A about how to crush it in business.
Russell Ruffino – What’s Your Claim to Fame?
Russell Ruffino: Good to be here! I was a bartender before I ventured out to create Clients on Demand. I drew inspiration from the power of social media and online marketing. It’s fascinating to me how you can leverage your brand – products or services – by using the exponential marketing power of social media. Convinced that this was the way forward, I put together a video course and e-book explaining my methodology and I priced it at $197. Guess what? I made a sale. This literally changed the way I looked at business, lived my life, and planned for the future. I threw in the towel on my bartending job and sat about creating a new business. This was the best decision I ever made in my life.
Clients on Demand is all about marketing for companies. It’s a way to empower people through video courses designed to tap into the social marketing arena. Then I changed my model. Rather than simply providing people with a how to do it guide on marketing, I decided to take a more hands-on approach and work with a select group of clients to strategize the best way forward for their business needs. I raised my price to $5000 and worked one-on-one with 10 people. This is the way that my business transformed from a lower tier to a higher tier operation. Clients on Demand is geared towards helping clients understand what their strengths are and how to monetize their business activity. A strong social media presence on Facebook, YouTube and on blogs has helped to spread the power of the COD approach.
Are you a business coach? What do you Really Teach People?
Russell Ruffino: Before I answer that, let me say this: if your business is unable to attract new clients on a consistent basis, it is moribund. Clients are the lifeblood of any business operation and my job is to teach business owners how to employ the most effective online marketing techniques to reach their target audience. When you have honed in your marketing strategy, your business will realise returns. Increased conversion rates, increased stickiness, less bounce, higher CTR, and improved ROI are all functions of successful marketing strategy.
Now, that’s how I coach business owners. So yes, I am a business coach and I believe in empowering companies to reach their full potential. Business owners should really focus on delivering their ideas, products and services to the market – not worrying how they’re going to reach their customers. I like to think of Clients on Demand as a facilitator of these services. Any great marketer needs to have a keen appreciation of the world. People are complex creatures with different wants, needs and preferences. We live in an era of soundbites, microblogging platforms, and hashtags. People are being bombarded with too much information all the time.
I teach people about people. Everyone wants to be heard. Everyone wants to be appreciated. When you market your products and services to people, you should never forget that they are the focal point of all your activity. This builds trust and credibility and it allows you as a business owner to provide the solutions to the problems.
How Would Someone Go from 0 to Hero Using Your Marketing Techniques?
Russell Ruffino: Even if you are a virtual unknown on the Internet, you still have the ability to make it big. Before you begin, evaluate where you are at. Did you reach your objectives? If you didn’t, why didn’t you? Be honest about it. This process of transformation that you are about to undertake requires you to acknowledge what you have done right and what you have done wrong. Perhaps you didn’t know about all the tools and resources available to you? That’s where I come into the picture and help business owners to crush it.
Much of what you need to do as a business owner is based on a can-do attitude. You have to believe in yourself and the ability of your business to service a need in society. Forget about all those old constructs that tell you it will take years to grow your business. We live in different times where smart and savvy marketing, effective management, and creative entrepreneurship can definitely fast-track your success. What do you need to succeed? You need to be the person best suited to solving a big problem in society. You need to think big, plan big, and execute with precision. A vague business strategy is the most ineffective way to grow your business. You need to know what you want and craft a plan to go and get it.
Russ Ruffino is a firm believer in gratitude. He states that even if you don’t have what you want, act as if you do and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment. According to him, this empowerment technique makes it easier to achieve your goals.
