If you own an accounting, financial planning, HVAC, sign,
construction, graphic design, landscaping, consulting, attorney, insurance,
catering, massage, photography, insert-almost-any-type-of-business
here, this is written for you.
This process (borrowed from the highly successful businesses
I have met) will grow your business in 2016.
Not overnight, but it will build a foundation that, if repeated
regularly, will give you more work than you can handle.
1. Send a
monthly newsletter (yes, I’m partial, but it works) – Just a few effective
tips, pretty pictures, and a call to action can make an effective monthly
newsletter. The idea is drive people
back to your site and learn more about how you can help them. And if you are using an email service, you
will know who is engaging with your newsletter and you can follow up with them later.
2. Use
Social Media – The same content in the newsletter can be used in your
social media platform of choice.
Additionally, you should take the time to interact with others and use
social media to be, well…social. This
helps you continue to build brand recognition and identify people and follow up with them later.
3. Networking
– Attend at least 2-3 networking events per month. Make sure to collect at least 3 business
cards from people that you can help and
follow up with them later.
4. Coffee or
Lunch – This is the “following up
with them later” part. When you have
a coffee or lunch date, make sure to be the one that listens and finds a way to
help that person, even if it is not with the service you normally provide.
5. FOLLOW UP
the FOLLOW UP! – This is the biggest miss by most entrepreneurs. They may make great contacts, but then don’t
follow up. At all. They assume that the other party isn’t
interested because they didn’t buy immediately.
The truth is that people are busy. Too busy.
They are thinking about themselves and not you. It is up to you to follow up. And in most cases it will take 7-12 times before they make a buying
decision. Use hand-written notes, emails,
phone calls, gifts, and your newsletter to follow up.
Add these activities to your calendar and treat them like a
doctor’s appointment. You would not let
a phone call or an urgent email prevent you from your annual physical or
getting your back adjusted when you are in pain.
