You’ve just landed the big deal. You’ll be busy for the next few months. Feels great doesn’t it?
But as the Robot in the 1960’s si-fi classic, “Lost in Space” would say while flapping his arms, “Danger, Danger, Danger”.
Sounds corny, but the danger is very real.
You get caught up in delivery and then once the project finishes – you scramble for new work. Many times it takes weeks, or months before getting the next major project. In the meantime you still have bills to pay!
It’s a classic trap too many businesses fall into.
Remember, people buy when they are ready, not when you need the cash!
Therefore you need a range of prospects at different phases of the sales process. Some you’ve just met. Others getting to know you. Some you have sales conversations with. And a few you convert into clients.
This is how we do it.
We meet someone at a function. We find out a bit about each other and exchange cards. Over the next couple of days, I’ll send them a note and include some newsletter articles like the one you’re reading. I’ll also include a 24 Marketing Strategies document if appropriate.
Then they go onto our newsletter list.
Depending on our “connection”, I’ll call and set up an informal get together to get to know them better and see where we can help each other with connections.
Some of these connections turn into clients. Others joint venture partners. Others we refer business to.
The key is to build up relationships. Which (not always) can take time.
Our goal is to feed them with good quality educational material which highlights our expertise and builds trust in our delivery. And yes, we do present offers as part of this.
Consistency is the key.
Here are a couple of examples.
We recently got a call from someone who’d been on our newsletter list for 10 years. They needed help pitching to a large corporate. Because of the familiarity and trust they had due to our constant, educational keep in touch the “sale” took 10 minutes on the phone.
In another instance, someone had been on our list for 2 years. They became a 6 figure client we went on to helping become the second most profitable subsidiary of their worldwide organisation.
And only last week we met with a potential client we first met about 3 o 4 years ago. He then attended one of our marketing workshops, stayed on our newsletter list and is now in a position to move forward.
Of course (and fortunately) not everyone takes this long. We’ve had major clients who’ve come through an advertisement or LinkedIn, had one meeting and signed up.
The point is you need a funnel. Lots of different people at different stages.
And remember, no matter how busy you get, you must, absolutely must, keep up your client attraction activities. Anything else is potentially financial suicide.
Regardless of how you get prospects into your funnel – be it networking, advertising, going door to door or direct mail, you must have a system to consistently move them down the funnel, qualifying them in or out and having sales conversations with a few who are ready to become clients.
So here’s our offer.
Engage us to create your marketing and sales funnel for you. We can create the advertisements, web material, direct mail pieces and follow up material which will attract, convert and help retain your clients.
We’ll wrap all this around technology which will do the heavy lifting by automatically keeping in touch.
This way you will always have a steady stream of clients and never be caught short once a major project has finished.
Alternatively if you want to do most of the work yourself and just need to learn how, we have a 12 week lower cost program where we coach and guide you through the process.
Working with us will help you clarify your message and your unique differentiation. We’ll critique your marketing material and drill and skill you in your sales process. Do what we teach and I guarantee you will attract, convert and retain more clients.
Call us on (02) 9499-7958 to get started.
