pmw.net

5 EASY TIPS TO CONNECT WITH CLIENTS

Having a business without a marketing plan is like building a store in the jungle with no signs or roads pointing to it. Not maintaining your marketing plan allows the jungle to quickly overgrow the path to your door. Working on it a little is better than nothing. Doing more is better than a little.

In times like these, allow your road to become overgrown and clients will forget you ever existed.

Some say the economy is bottoming out. In a year or so we will be on much firmer ground. I am not a financial person. I don’t know when the markets will change, but I do know that if you put your head in the sand when the economy does shift you will have lost your advantage.

Now is the time to build your business exposure. Here are some easy ways to start building your business.

1.   Take a client to lunch - Hell, take a lot of them to lunch. Build that relationship, ask them about their family, care about them. If you don’t have that kind of relationship with your clients then how will you ever be able to ask them for a referral.

2.   Go on LinkedIn – Social media is a great way to reach out to your community of contacts easily and ask them about a company you are interested in doing business with, find a person to hire, or get a connection that can bring your career along.

3.   Do a mailer - Reach out to chamber members through a piggyback mailer. These should be repeated several times a year to maintain brand awareness among chamber members.

4.   Join a committee – Volunteering on a committee, whether for a chamber or a charity, allows you access to business people you normally couldn’t reach.

5.   Go networking alone – If you go networking with a co-worker it will always be easier to spend time with them rather than go out and meet new people. When you go alone make sure you set a goal of the number of people you want to meet. “I am going to have 7 meaningful conversations in 2 hours with people I don’t know.” Spend time listening and asking follow up questions. DO NOT SELL THEM. Listen and when asked tell them succinctly what you do and let them ask you for more.

Now is the time to start informing potential clients of the benefits of utilizing your product or service. Branding doesn’t have to be expensive. There are all kinds of small things that you can do to gain exposure for your firm. Both online and in traditional marketing there are ways to bring up the awareness of your company. If you don’t do it, your competition will.

Where will you be when the dust clears?  Left in the dust? Or in the center of the road?