Blog Marketing Triad: Networking
A Jedi Marketing Ninja Trick for Getting Attention from the Marketplace
My friend, Don (@DonCooper) recently posted this tweet:
#Sales Tip: Every time you ask a question, you get a point. Every time you ask a question your prospect can’t answer, you get ten points.
YES, that’s such a great way of framing the power of an effective prospecting conversation (Mark LeBlanc calls it a “meaningful conversation”). You’ve heard me talk in other posts about how important it is to know your customer and connect powerfully with them. We do this by *listening well.*
Gameplan Step 6: Execute Your Plan Marketing Triad: Networking
Referrals: A 5-year strategy to grow your business
I ran into a colleague I hadn’t seen in a few years at a networking meeting recently, and when I asked him how his business was doing, I was really happy to hear that in spite of the downturn in the economy, his business was doing really well. He described his business as growing steadily year-after-year, and said that his #1 way of getting new clients now was from referrals.
I remember conversations we had years ago about his business, and he told me how hard it was to sell what he offered because it was “unconventional.” When people needed it most, they typically didn’t have the money. He seemed really frustrated, but he stuck it out. For the last 5 years, he’s been consistent about going to networking groups, making friends, and doing great work for the clients that he was able to get. Over time, people noticed: his colleagues heard from their colleagues about the great work he was doing. They noticed his consistency, and trusted that since he’d been around for a while with a smile on his face, he must do good work. As they learned about what he did for his customers, and they kept seeing him “all over town,” they began to think of him when someone they knew might benefit from what he offered.
Blog Gameplan Step 2: Know Your Customer Marketing Triad: Networking
Find More Prospects Through Industry Associations
For many independent professionals, knowing where to “fish” for good prospects is a crucial step in putting together a solid marketing plan. Once you know where your most promising prospects gather, you can begin to identify opportunities to connect with, serve, and support them.
There are a few key questions that can help you profile your customer and hone in on fantastic opportunities for serving them.
Gameplan Step 2: Know Your Customer Marketing Triad: Networking
5 Strategies for Attracting High-Quality Prospects
When was the last time you had a bad experience with a pushy telemarketer, or a clueless store associate, or an intimidating car salesman?
These experiences have an interesting affect on us as business owners … they can trick us into thinking that we have to develop aggressive “sales” skills for “overcoming objections” and “getting to “Yes,” and they simultaneously scare us into thinking we have to become these pushy people we detest if we want to get clients and become .
Finding clients is really much simpler than this. To attract customers, we have to first sell ourselves on what we offer. We do this by understanding who we serve and what they need, and packaging ourselves to solve their problems in a way that they want to buy. When we believe in what we offer, we have a confidence in the marketplace that can’t be faked, and it’s very important to our success! So SELL YOURSELF FIRST.
Blog Gameplan Step 3: Package Yourself to Solve Problems Gameplan Step 6: Execute Your Plan Marketing Triad: Networking
4 Key Strategies for Booking More Business
Here’s the truth: few people really care to learn your business if they don’t see that it’s valuable to them. Instead of focusing on talking about your business, focus instead on listening to them talk about their business, their situation, their needs, frustrations, hopes and dreams.
Gameplan Step 6: Execute Your Plan Marketing Plan Marketing Triad: Grassroots Marketing Marketing Triad: Networking Marketing Triad: Showcasing
Speakers & Coaches: Setting Goals in the New Year
I attended a Tennessee Coaches Alliance meeting today, where the topic of the luncheon was (fittingly) goal-setting for 2010. I’ve been working on lining up goals for SMS for 2010 for the last several months, and something about this meeting really inspired me to make sure that I’m framing my goals for the year in terms of the results I want to create.
It’s so easy to make lists and keep ourselves busy, yet busyness doesn’t necessarily translate into growing our businesses. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen speakers and coaches arbitrarily filling their schedules up with busyness that “feels” productive; yet they aren’t seeing key results like more clients and more income (which is what most of us ultimately want!).