Marketing is all about communication. But all too often we rely on impersonal ways of communicating. Email, Twitter, TXT. Anything to 
avoid picking up the phone.
But there’s nothing quite like speaking with someone. Making that personal connection.
But many people are afraid of doing so. Especially when the other person doesn’t know you.
But unless you make connections, you will have a very hard time obtaining new clients and growing your business.
So here are some ways we’ve found to be very effective in overcoming that fear barrier.
Making cold calls suck. It’s much easier to talk to someone you already have an affiliation with.
Start with you past clients. Assuming they were happy with what you did for them, keep in regular contact. You’d be surprised at how often people will say, “I’m glad you called. I was thinking of doing something and could you help.”
Other times by taking the time to find out what’s happening in their lives, opportunities might present themselves. They may have no idea you could help in other areas or even refer them on.
Belong to a Chamber of Commerce? Contact other members, let them know you’re also a member and start a conversation. Just belonging to the same Chamber makes it a warm wall.
Publish material to your own newsletter list? Why not send personal emails to people who regularly open your emails and start a conversation. Once you’ve exchanged a couple of emails, suggest a phone catch up.
Use LinkedIn? Most people connect and then there’s nothing. Look at their profiles and start by sending them links to articles/videos/podcasts that might interest them over the next few weeks. Then suggest a phone hook-up and see where it takes you.
One caveat with this approach. DO NOT send them your own material at first or try to sell them something. This is not about you. It’s about them and what they’re interested in.
Remember the Golden Rule. I don’t care how much you know until I know how much you care.
And finally, commit to making one outreach per day. And no, bunching up 5 on one day and none the rest of the week doesn’t cut it. This is about consistency and flexing your outreach muscle.
Feel you need help in what to say or write initially and how to progress the conversation? Give me a call and we’ll go through it.
