Posts for the ‘Updates’ Category
The Simple Way to Network and Get Referrals
As a business owner, you’ll need to proactively reach out to potential clients to make offers and to marketing partners and other decision makers to create business opportunities.
The most important direct outreach you do might well be to other service professionals, businesses, and professional associations to network, cross-promote, and build referral relationships.
But so many of us struggle with this. The idea of reaching out to someone that we don’t know…Yikes! You might be getting queasy just thinking about it. How do you do it (without nausea)?
With the BYS List of 20, of course. Don’t have one? Really? Ok, let’s make one…
The Book Yourself Solid List of 20
Make a List of 20 people within your industry with whom you’d like to develop professional relationships.
These are people whom you do not yet know — influencers within your target market who can help you get booked solid. This is your BYS List of 20.
The list never leaves your side. It sits on your desk. Lives on your computer. And, travels with you when you’re on the road.
Why twenty and why must you keep it with you at all times?
- Since your success is, in large part, determined by the people within your industry who are willing to refer to you or to put you in front of your ideal clients or endorse you, you need to keep these people top of mind. Keeping this list by your side will ensure that you’re thinking of them and, if you do, you’ll begin to notice opportunities to connect with them and get to know them.
- And, twenty, because it’s a large enough number to keep your focus expansive but narrow enough that you won’t be overwhelmed.
Written Exercise: Identify a minimum of three, and a maximum of twenty, people you’d like to reach out to directly and personally. (These may be prospective clients, decision makers at an organization or association, or the press.) At this moment, you might not think you can fill out your List of 20, but now that you know what you need to do, you’ll start to take notice of the people you should add to this list.
Here’s what you do with your list:
- Each day, reach out to the person at the top of the list.
- After you’ve reached out to this person, place this person at the bottom of the list.
- Now that this person has been moved to the end of the list, the person who was number 2 on the list becomes number 1 and each other person moves up one spot. This way your List of 20 always stays at twenty.
You’ll reach out to each person approximately every twenty business days which is about once per month.
This direct outreach activity occurs every day. This is critical. Dedicated, disciplined and determined action is key to your direct outreach success.
Remember, the BYS List of 20 is your wish list. You’re list of 20 people that could have a significant impact on your business through their referrals, introductions and advice. Do this daily and you’ll be booked solid in no time flat.
Booked Solid Action Step: Reach out to the first person on your list of 20 by sending a card or email of appreciation. Or maybe congratulate them on an accomplishment. Simple.
Using the Book Yourself Solid Direct Outreach Strategy is all about making personal connections. Reach out to others from the heart, in a way that is genuine and authentic for you.
Take it one step at a time and you’ll do fine.
9 Comments »Full-Day BYS Seminar Open to Public
Looking forward to teaching full-day OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Book Yourself Solid workshop Wednesday, May 19, 2010 in Ivyland, PA. It’s something like $129. Can’t beat that!
4 Comments »Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking
The Italians have La Dolce Vita, the French have Joie d’Vivre. What do Americans have? Happy Hour? Miller Time? We need help.
Good news. Help has arrived. New York Times bestselling author Michael Gelb (How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci) opens our eyes to the remarkable power of wine to tap into our creative potential as we deepen bonds with friends or co-workers. Seriously. I’m even encouraged to start drinking.
Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking offers a “whole brain” approach to wine appreciation and enjoyment that is definitely unique.
Highly recommended.
When (and How) to Raise Your Prices
Sometimes, when service providers get overbooked, they complain about it. Oh, how easily we forget what it was like when we were struggling our way up the ladder. Moreover, I’ve witnessed many a service provider resist raising prices, which might allow them to work with fewer clients, for fear of loosing business as this simple story will illustrate.
A have an acupuncturist that I see from time to time. He might be the best known acupuncturist in my town. He’s certainly the most experienced and has an overbooked practice because of it. Every time I see him he complains (in a nice way) that he’s overworked and can’t keep up with demand. He doesn’t want to change the model of his business, in that he still wants to see patients himself and doesn’t want to manage other acupuncturists, but he resists raising prices, nonetheless. So, every time I see him, I complain to him (in a nice way) that his prices are too low and, in fact, should be doubled. His answer is always the same, “But, Michael, if I double my rates, I’ll loose half my clients.” I’ll pause here to let that sink in. First of all, he won’t loose half his clients but even if he did, he’d still make the same money and have twice as much free time. More likely, he’ll lose just a few clients but make much more money because he doubled his prices.
If you do raise prices, it’s a good idea to let clients know why. There’s nothing wrong with saying that you’re fortunate to be in high demand and are raising your prices so that you can give more attention to your clients. Or, that certain expenses related to serving your clients have increased and you’re raising your prices accordingly. People like the truth. I’d prefer to be open and honest with my clients, running the risk of disappointing a few of them, then be manipulative or obtuse, running the risk of damaging my soul. Just be sure to let them know what the new rates will be and when they go into effect. Give them reasonable notice and consider giving them lots of advance noticed so they can adjust to the changes. And, most importantly, remind them of the continuing benefits they’ll get from working with you.
On the flip side, you don’t always have to carry over all costs or eek out every bit of profit on every sale. Sometimes you can earn long-term marketing juice by taking one in the chin for the sake of your clients. My son’s favorite pizza place is an organic one called Jules Thin Crust Pizza. At one point last summer the price of cheese went down. Now, the average customer is not going to know this. I eat cheese but I don’t buy it in bulk. It would have been easy, and cheesy (sorry, couldn’t resist), for Jules to just pocket the extra profit from the savings. But no, instead, they put up a big sign announcing the cheap cheese and that they were lowering prices because of it. All summer, their busy season, no less, prices where reduced. I asked the owner, John, whether the cheese experiment cultured nicely or stunk up the place (sorry, again, couldn’t resist). He said it was a huge success as a day did not pass without a multitude of “thank you’s” being tossed his way. Now, John’s not the type to boast about sales but I’m pretty sure he saw more business because of his gastrointestinal stimulus package.
10 Comments »Bait and Switch Sales-Sky Radio Network and American Airlines
Check out this email my office received yesterday from a “radio station” that produces programming for American Airlines. At first, it appears to be a producer reaching out to me for a radio interview based on my work but right before he signes off notice how he slips in the word “cost.”
This is not the first time I’ve received direct outreach like this and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Also notice the use of the “confidentiality notice” at the very end of the email. Is this supposed to protect the sender from beging labeled a spammer? Because, it won’t work. You can’t put someone on a distribution/broadcast list and then claim it’s “privileged information.” This stuff makes my blood boil because it’s what gives salespeople a bad name.
UPDATE: I’m not saying that what this guy is offering is not going to get you business. It might (or might not) be a good marketing strategy to be on the sky radio program but that’s not germane to my point. I simply object to his kind of sales tactic.
______________________________________________________________________________
Time-Sensitive Material
Michael Port & Associates LLC
DeHart, Gayla S.
Hi Gayla,
My name is Steven James and I’m a producer for American Airlines “Business & Technology Report”. Our talk program entertains millions of travelers each month.
I’d like to personally invite a spokesperson from your company to participate in a interview segment on our upcoming edition of “The Innovators” airing worldwide to 8.4 million throughout July and August 2010.
For participation details and cost, click http://www.skyradionet.net/aapromo.
Please contact me soon as space is limited.
Steven James
Producer
Sky Radio Network
5320 Laurel Canyon Boulevard
Valley Village, CA 91607
818-232-7069 Direct
818-301-2085 Fax
sj@skyradionet.net
www.skyradionet.com
Producers of the #1 Talk Shows in the Sky and on the Web
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, copy, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. To be removed from our invitation list, reply to this email stating your intent or click the following link: Unsubscribe me from this list
______________________________________________________________________________
2 Comments »
