Russ Ruffino, Founder and CEO of Clients on Demand, discusses the inspiration behind his business success and how he helps his clients secure tangible, measurable results
What do you currently do at Clients on Demand?
I founded Clients on Demand back in 2010. I now act as CEO of the company, where most of my time and energy goes into working with our clients and managing our team.
As you know, the marketing industry is one of the most competitive in the world, which is why we must strive to outperform the rest by offering a unique and valuable service to our clients. My main drive for the company is to leave a legacy that creates value for everyone that’s affected by Clients on Demand.
Yes, our main goal is to scale the company up to $100 million in revenue, but it’s not all about the money. The clients we work with make a lasting impact in the world and it’s amazing to be a part of this community.
We teach our clients how to win and succeed with their businesses, and most of them serve a greater purpose that changes hundreds of people’s lives. We teach doctors how to use marketing strategies that allow them to connect with patients that they know they can help. We have relationship coaches who are literally saving marriages and keeping families together. Just knowing we are all a part of that is great.
What was the inspiration behind your business?
Throughout my own journey, I started to figure out the importance of understanding the distinction between information and transformation. There are millions of would-be entrepreneurs out there who buy courses on a whim and fail to truly absorb anything that was taught inside the program. It’s an impulse buy.
The main problem is that these courses are usually enrolling hundreds, if not thousands, of people at a time which means it’s impossible to work with anyone on a personal level and offer them world-class support.
I saw a need, and I decided to go out there and meet it. I set up Clients on Demand with the intention of selling a program that would be truly transformative. I raised my prices and worked with fewer clients which allowed me to provide the absolute best experience possible for them. Their goals became my goals, and it was all about helping them get the most out of their time and their investment, and to this day, nothing has changed in that regard.
Who do you admire?
I have a long list of people that I admire, such as each and every one of the fantastic coaches that I work with inside the Clients on Demand program. Although, I have to say that I have nothing but admiration for all of the people who show up to our courses with the most unbelievable drive and determination.
Some of these people have been through such extremely tough times. A personal crisis, health issues, business failures, yet they are ready to stand back up and give it their all every single day. You’ve got to respect that.
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?
If anything, I probably would have started my journey sooner and believed in myself long before I began Clients on Demand.
Back in the day, I was working as a bartender and always had lofty dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur. Yet, everything I did seemed to fail. Looking back, I guess it was because I didn’t truly have the confidence or drive to follow through on the promises I made to myself.
The thing that turned it all around was taking 15 minutes out of my day each morning to visualize what I would want to happen in my life as if it had already happened.
I would visualize my future self. His character and personality, and how such a person would rise to the daily challenges and adversity I was about to face.
I would assume this personality for the day and attack my goals relentlessly. This small trick helped me change my decisions for the better, which changed my actions, and subsequently changed my destiny.
What defines your way of doing business?
That’s an easy one. We are all about securing tangible, measurable results for our clients. And when I say results, I don’t mean in 12 or 18 months down the line; I mean right now.
That may seem like a bold statement, but people have become too familiar with the passive marketing strategies that are taught in the industry today. We focus on providing a powerful, high-octane marketing strategy with a very short sales cycle (24-48 hours).
At first, some people are bemused by this notion, but it makes perfect sense when you consider how often long-term marketing strategies fail. Books, blogs, and podcasts are incredibly time-consuming and require a multi-year investment if you want to see significant returns, and let’s be honest, a year in business is a long time!
Secondly, one of our primary goals is to help our clients find customers that are perfectly suited to their business. Most conventional marketing models focus on securing as many leads as possible. They teach a volume-based approach that advocated quantity over quality, and that’s just not the way to do it.
We teach our clients how to find the customers that are perfectly tailored to their needs, and not the other way around. The better suited a potential lead is to the service you offer, the more money they will be willing to pay. We show them how to build real connections with their audience and the high-impact methods that focus on a practical and customized approach. Here’s what they think of us.
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
Whatever journey you want to embark on, you need to understand your why. What motivates you, and what excites you? What don’t you like about the world, and what do you think you could do better?
Sometimes, it’s not about reinventing the wheel but spotting the gaps in the market that you believe you could fulfill better. Triple down on your strengths and try to bring as much value to the world as possible. If you strive to operate from a position of value creation, it will be hard for you to go too far wrong.
