How (Exactly) To Grow Your Business (Part 2)

Last week, in part 1 of <a href="how-exactly-to-grow-your-business-in-2009">How (Exactly) to Grow Your Business in 2009</a>, I outlined what I consider to be the 5 essential marketing tools – In-person Networking, Research Calling, Email Marketing, Marketing-smart Web site, Printed materials and samples. I chose these because they cost more time than money and because, when used in concert, these tools will bring you into direct contact with the people who are most likely to become your clients. Here, in part 2, I’ll tell you how (exactly) each one works. There will also be a part 3 (to come), in which I will add a few more advanced marketing tools that will build on this foundation. (You’ll find all of this material also in the 2009 Grow Your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar in the Marketing-Mentor-Store.com) So here goes: 1. Weekly In-Person Networking There is no question in my mind that meeting your prospects in person is, hands down, one of the best ways to make a strong impression, to find out what they need and to get their contact information. Yet so many people don’t want to leave their offices or studios to go where their prospects gather. Too bad. I say go. You should attend one networking event per week to meet your prospects, especially when you have more time than paying work. Find 2-3 groups or organizations that suit your networking needs and see what events they have coming up. Don’t rush to join an association or group until you’ve attended a few meetings and feel confident this is the place to find and get to know your target market. Then, once you become a member, continue attending meetings but also volunteer to join a project or committee. This level of participation is necessary because it is only by seeing you in action that these prospects will get to know you and your work. 2. Daily Research Calls We’re not calling these “cold calls” anymore because when you first reach out to your prospects, you’re still in research mode. So your first call is actually a research call, not a sales call. Your goal is to qualify them, to make sure they really are a prospect for you. Here’s what you want to find out: <ul> <li>Do they have a need for your services? </li> <li>With whom should you speak (who makes the decisions)? </li> <li>Are they’re happy with the resource or company they’re currently working with?</li> <li>If not, why not?</li> </ul> Guidelines for your research call Don’t stress over what to say. Here is a formula to follow, using myself as the example. Just replace your own specifics in the parentheses and you have your own customized script! a. Who you are: Hi, this is (Ilise Benun) and I (help creative solopreneurs find their ideal clients). You don’t know me but I see your name here in the directory of the (NJ Business Marketing Association). Do you have a moment to chat? Wait for them to give you permission to continue or find out when it’s best to call back. b. What you do and what you’re trying to find out: I (give workshops on marketing and pricing). You may not be the right person to speak with but I’m wondering if you (bring in speakers for your regular meetings or conferences)? (If not you, who should I speak to about this?) Wait for a response. If they seem at all open, make your offer to send details or samples of some sort. If they say yes, get their address (email and snail mail). Then, make one more offer: c. Next step: One more thing: We publish free daily audio tips that take creative solopreneurs step-by-step through a marketing plan. It’s a great way to stay in touch and I’d be happy to add you to the list. Would you like to get that? If so, what’s your email address? That’s it! It’s that simple. Now, more often than not, you won’t get through to your prospect on the first try. That’s fine. And yes, you should leave a voice mail message, which says essentially the same thing. Here’s mine: Hi, I’m Ilise Benun and you don’t know me but I (give workshops to groups like yours, such as the Freelancers Union and the Self Employed Creative Professionals in Portland Oregon) on (marketing and pricing). I am trying to find out if you (bring in speakers for your meetings). You can find details online at (spell out your web address here.) Here’s my phone number and I will try to reach you again. And if you’re not the right person, I’d appreciate it if you point me in the right direction. Thanks so much. Then, if you don’t hear back in a day or two, send that same message via email. 3. Monthly Email Marketing Once you’ve got some prospects interested in your work, you need to stay in touch with them. The best way is with a regular marketing vehicle—something you do like clockwork, monthly (or at least quarterly), and for which you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time. An email marketing campaign is ideal here. It allows you to keep your visibility high, showcase your work, share your knowledge and build credibility, while also spreading the word about your services and distinguishing you from the competition. Email marketing also drives traffic to your web site in a much more reliable and controllable way than search engines. And best of all, email serves as a prompt for your recipients. When they get a message from you, it encourages them to respond. 4. Your Marketing-Smart Website In 2009, to be taken seriously as a business, you must have an online presence, ideally your own web site or blog that provides examples of your work and information about you. If you don’t already, that should be your first project. If you so, make sure it’s “marketing-smart,” which means it allows your prospects to find you easily and to see right away that you can help them. In other words, your homepage says, in essence: “Are you (this person with (this problem)? If so, we can help. Here’s how…” (This simple formula comes to us from the Communicatrix, who wrote about it in an article for Biznik called, “You, in a (compelling) nutshell.” Marketing-Smart also means it gets good search engine placement. There are a few basics to keep in mind that will increase your rankings. Be sure to: <ul> <li>Use descriptive text (not just images) with your best keywords throughout your website </li> <li>Have title tags and meta tags in the HTML code that describe your business and include important keywords that prospective clients might search for. </li> <li>Build a links page with relevant links. This shows you’re the expert in your area but also give other sites good reason to link back to yours. </li> </ul> 5. Printed materials or samples Once you’ve qualified a prospect and established interest, you need something ready to send when they say, “Yes, I’d like to know more.” Ideally, you should send something that lands with a thud on their desk. So even if they ask you to send your details via email, be sure to get the physical mailing address. A tangible, printed brochure or actual samples of materials you’ve written or designed is so much more effective (and less easily lost) than anything you send via email. They can hold it in their hands, inspect it up close and get a much stronger sense of your capabilities, even if what you’re offering is web-based. That’s it. You meet people in person or through your research calls. You gauge their interest and send something tangible to the ones who are interested. You stay in touch via email until they are ready to work with you. It really is that simple. And the more of this you do, the higher your odds of getting clients, providing you are digging in the right garden. If not, go back to part 1 of this article and choose another target market. 2009-01-11T19:51:25Z

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how-exactly-to-grow-your-business-part-2

2009-01-13T20:26:05Z

In Part 2 of this step-by-step article, in which I try to make the marketing of your business super-simple and manageable, we focus on the 5 essential marketing tools that cost more time than money. What are you waiting for?

How (Exactly) To Grow Your Business (Part 2)

2009-02-24T09:48:25Z