Have you made a commitment to making new business opportunities? If you go to just two networking events a year, buy some ads in journals and wait for the phone to ring, the answer is no.
If you want to grow a business in this challenging economy, you need to create awareness about your company and what you do.
In order to be successful, you must promote to your potential customers at multiple touch points. That means more than mailing a letter once a year. It needs to be a combination of initiatives so that you are the person or company that they think of when needing your product or service.
Looking for likely contacts
Networking with the right groups is your ground war. Since time is precious, be selective. Meeting people in industries likely to do business with you is the key.
Many people often look in the wrong places. Usually, business-to-business groups, like chambers of commerce, are best for business networking. But hopefully, you’ll find time to join a local volunteer organization, too.
The personal approach is key
Networking that makes it rain for your business also means not working a potential customer over at an event. People are usually taken back by networkers being too aggressive at functions.
Use good etiquette: share what you do, learn about what they do, exchange cards and follow up. Most of all, here’s your opportunity to make a personal connection with a prospect. Try doing that over the phone — it’s not as easy.
Creating multiple touch points means providing your networking and sales efforts with air cover. Get some advertising out there, along with targeted direct mail. Write press releases to attain third-party news stories which will give your message credibility.
The level of awareness that you raise will soften your knock at a prospect’s door.
If you are too busy running your business, or want to enhance the professionalism of your effort, consider hiring a professional marketing agency or employee dedicated to sales. Making this commitment will ensure that somebody is thinking about new business development for you — all the time.
How often have you been buried with work for weeks and nobody in your organization is out there trying to make the phone ring? If you want success, make marketing and sales a priority.
Your ground war is networking and sales. Advertising and publicity is your air cover. You need both to win.
