Building a list of Great Potential Clients

One of the hardest marketing chores for many businesses is building a list of great 'target prospects' or potential clients to whom one wants to sell one's products or services.

What are the ideal methods for this?
Naturally, each business or each owner has their own favorite ways of finding their perfect client. Here are a few I've used with clients--and a few they use on their own with varied success:

1. rent mailing lists.
This method is truly a crap shoot since you've no relationship with the people on the list, so it's least likely to 'perform' for you. But it's a great way to start testing outreach, and for specific sales campaigns it can generate some good return on the invested cost.

2. post blogs and respond to readers who reply. At least they know something about you having read your blogs. It's a more likely sale this way, and a great way to build a list.

3. Capture enews or newsletter subscribers by offering something free to them. Again, they're ready something about your company so your foot is in the door a bit further trying to sell to this list.

4. Social networking. Post links to your site and sign up forms so you can capture their information if they're interested in what you sell.

5. Networking or speaking to organizations. Collect cards of people you meet in person at events, or networking and build your own list. Since you've met the person, know something about them and they you, this is a much faster sales cycle--meaning they are more likely to purchase your products/services sooner since they've met you.

6. Go to the library and find companies you want to serve on their proprietary databases. I often find this is much faster than searching online for lists that are not exactly what I need. No kidding, librarians are a vast wealth of info. If ONLY I'd realized that while I was in college :)

7. Media lists, like Bacon's Directory and similar collections are usually out of date as soon as they're printed due to a large turnover in that industry. But it's still one of the best for building a media list.

What are your favorite ways to build a list? Give us your comments and let us learn from your experiences because after all, Knowledge is Bliss.

Making a Sale is a Simple Process

To many businesses, the process of a sales campaign is still such a mystery. I thought I'd try to clarify it a bit in this article:
http://www.allisonbliss.com/newsletter/archives/sales-a-simple-process.htm.
Here’s a tip: for businesses that sell services, it’s critically important to build relationships, not just do impersonal advertising which is often too generic disallowing you from getting to know the people you’re selling to. I know it seems ‘easier’ to just place an ad and wait for the phone to ring, but it’s often such a waste of money for service businesses. (not all advertising, though. I have a client who’s publication brings huge rewards to their advertisers. It’s just that this ad strategy needs to be extremely well planned).

HOW DO I KNOW THIS WORKS?
Because I've made over a million dollars in sales last few years for one of my clients doing just this. It's not a mystery, it's just disciplined work, good notations so you don't keep it all in your head, people skills on the phone (you get better with time, believe me!) and a great package priced fairly for the right market with outstanding promotional materials. It might take a week or 6 months, so start now and track your progress. I'd love to hear the techniques, ideas, helpful tips that you use for your particular market, too, since each market requires slightly different strategy.

Is Word of Mouth All You Need?

"I get all my business from word of mouth". That's what I hear so often from business owners who just aren't telling the truth. Well, not the whole truth, anyway.

In fact, while word of mouth is the top method for 'marketing' services, if you do a bit of research you usually discover this:

Successful businesses don't sit back waiting for word of mouth to bring clients in droves in the door.

Accellerating word of mouth -- now that's the strategy that works. I've heard some owners on radio shows, read about them in local newspapers, or received their ezines or blog links -- which really are promotional tools that support word of mouth. There are entire books about word of mouth marketing suggesting everything from solving problems to offering fruitcakes. Really.

The important part is that in today's world people are just very busy, so to outreach to enough people to find the percentage who need what you offer, it's critical to take an active role rather than passively awaiting new clients from word of mouth 'marketing'.

Even those of us who have been around for eons find that we still need to keep in touch with colleagues, potential business owners who need our help, and with our vendors, otherwise they might forget about us. . . not that we're not astoundingly fascinating and memorable, just that there are lots of things vying for their attention. Think: billboards, newspaper ads, online gimmicks, tv commercials, itunes promos, radio shows and it's reported that we are subjected to 10-20,000 promotional messages every day. So, if you're a start up entrepreneur, you need to double your marketing efforts to compete with those already in the minds of your target clients.

That's how a marketing coach will help you. A coach understands how you've a million ideas floating around and need focussed direction on how to get your goals accomplished so you can stay on track to thrive. It's like a race--you train, you run, you stretch, you stay on track, you win. Well, at least you'll win a successful business if you know what to do, and in which order, over time.

So how do you cut through the clutter? By taking action, staying focussed, providing an unusually helpful service that people just can't live without. Work with a pro to pick the right strategies & marketing tools, and then jump in. Take action. Get out there. Meet new people. Learn as much as you can. Be a great communicator.

Of course, word of mouth is the best way to entice new clients. A trusted referral from a colleague will have your new potential client sign up for your services faster than any marketing and sales strategy. You just need to help it along by having tools in place that strengthen your word of mouth--like getting seen and heard frequently. TV, Radio, magazine or online articles, podcasts, networking--there are many more, so find something you like. And jump in.

In my unquenching thirst for knowledge, I'm always eager to hear how people are accellerating their word of mouth marketing--or if anyone just sits back waiting for the phone to ring? After all, Knowledge is Bliss.

Is Word of Mouth All You Need?

"I get all my business from word of mouth". That's what I hear so often from business owners who just aren't telling the truth. Well, not the whole truth, anyway.

In fact, while word of mouth is the top method for 'marketing' services, if you do a bit of research you usually discover this:

Successful businesses don't sit back waiting for word of mouth to bring clients in droves in the door.

Accellerating word of mouth -- now that's the strategy that works. I've heard some owners on radio shows, read about them in local newspapers, or received their ezines or blog links -- which really are promotional tools that support word of mouth. There are entire books about word of mouth marketing suggesting everything from solving problems to offering fruitcakes. Really.

The important part is that in today's world people are just very busy, so to outreach to enough people to find the percentage who need what you offer, it's critical to take an active role rather than passively awaiting new clients from word of mouth 'marketing'.

Even those of us who have been around for eons find that we still need to keep in touch with colleagues, potential business owners who need our help, and with our vendors, otherwise they might forget about us. . . not that we're not astoundingly fascinating and memorable, just that there are lots of things vying for their attention. Think: billboards, newspaper ads, online gimmicks, tv commercials, itunes promos, radio shows and it's reported that we are subjected to 10-20,000 promotional messages every day. So, if you're a start up entrepreneur, you need to double your marketing efforts to compete with those already in the minds of your target clients.

That's how a marketing coach will help you. A coach understands how you've a million ideas floating around and need focussed direction on how to get your goals accomplished so you can stay on track to thrive. It's like a race--you train, you run, you stretch, you stay on track, you win. Well, at least you'll win a successful business if you know what to do, and in which order, over time.

So how do you cut through the clutter? By taking action, staying focussed, providing an unusually helpful service that people just can't live without. Work with a pro to pick the right strategies & marketing tools, and then jump in. Take action. Get out there. Meet new people. Learn as much as you can. Be a great communicator.

Of course, word of mouth is the best way to entice new clients. A trusted referral from a colleague will have your new potential client sign up for your services faster than any marketing and sales strategy. You just need to help it along by having tools in place that strengthen your word of mouth--like getting seen and heard frequently. TV, Radio, magazine or online articles, podcasts, networking--there are many more, so find something you like. And jump in.

In my unquenching thirst for knowledge, I'm always eager to hear how people are accellerating their word of mouth marketing--or if anyone just sits back waiting for the phone to ring? After all, Knowledge is Bliss.

easy shopping cart, ecommerce marketing tip

Often I find clients completely confused about ecommerce and shopping carts. They want to know if the steps of the purchase need to be built onto their own site, not always grasping that it's all built on the back end.

They need a solution that allows them to add and remove products so easily they don't need a programmer. So, I highly recommend 2Checkout. Details are at the box labelled "Our recommendations", which I've scrutinized or used myself http://www.allisonbliss.com/resources.htm.

This solution is easy to set up, has good tracking, low cost and really helpful customer support. Then, when companies have much more complicated inventory management requirements they can pay big bucks for those solutions.

I use my shopping cart to manage class sign ups, too. It makes it much easier for registrants.

I Need It Right Now! Marketing Coach to the Rescue

I've noticed that a Marketing Coach is most helpful when someone needs an answer RIGHT NOW and you can respond when they're stuck on an issue.

One of my clients, a massage therapist, is opening a new wellness center expanding her offerings with partner practitioners. Naturally, I suggested as part of her expansion strategy to let her existing clients know about her new center.

She needed to get an invitation in print today so emailed me asking for an edit check on her text. It was fine, just needed some minor tweaking which I handled just while awaiting a callback. ahhh, mission accomplished.

So what does everyone else do when they don't have a coach standing by for them? Or the answer isn't available immediately on google? I'd certainly like to have someone standing by to help me but not sure where to find this mentor.

I'm always curious on sources. After all, Knowledge is Bliss, right?

When You Need Help Right Now: a Marketing Coach!

I've noticed that a Marketing Coach is most helpful when someone needs an answer RIGHT NOW and can respond when they're stuck on an issue.

One of my clients, a massage therapist, is opening a new wellness center expanding her offerings with partner practitioners. Naturally, I suggested as part of her expansion strategy to let her existing clients know about her new center.

She needed to get an invitation in print today so emailed me asking for an edit check on her text. It was fine, and just needed some minor tweaking which I handled in between other duties today. ahhh, mission accomplished.

So what does everyone else do when they don't have a marketing coach standing by for them or the answer isn't available immediately on Google? Sure a qualified coach will create a marketing plan with the right strategies, but sometimes you just need immediate help getting information to the media, preparing a proposal, fixing a website, writing a brochure, dealing with a difficult client or situation, or getting new projects in the door fast! That's where a responsive marketing coach comes in.

Trying to do it all by oneself is one of the top reasons for failure of small businesses, which I call the "lone wolf" syndrome: we feel we're smart and capable and should be able to do it all ourselves. In reality, we need help with those strategies, writing, design, websites, or even plumbing that we haven't the experience to do ourselves.

And for those who just need some marketing tips, here's a few to get you start:

• 11 STEPS TO BUILD ENEWS CAMPAIGNS
  
• MY FAVORITE NETWORKING TIPS
  
• PREPARING FOR A TRADE SHOW
  
• FINDING PERFECT EMPLOYEES
  
• CREATE A COMPANY PROFILE OR BIO
  

We've an entire agency of writers, designers, web experts who are here to help when you're ready to ask. Wishing all readers huge successes this month!

Is Publicity All It's Cracked Up to Be?

Again I got a call to do some publicity for a colleague's client. Why? Because often people think marketing is just publicity, that getting your name in print will create that tipping point to make a company a huge success.

However, doing publicity without the marketing strategy behind it can be very costly without producing sustained results. Sure your web traffic can skyrocket from a great article about your company, or your phone can ring off the hook for a day or two. But without solid marketing tactics to sustain that hit, results wane quickly.

For business owners trying to do their own publicity, I found Jill Lublin's co-authored book on guerilla publicity quite useful along with Bulldog Reporter's moderated interviews with the media.

But to do PR properly you must devote solid time and effort (gee is there anything worthwhile in life that doesn't require that?) to build a media list, do some media relations, create an editorial calendar of strategy for what you'll pitch to whom and when, plus craft astoundingly fascinating pitches that command attention with the right kind of follow up.

So few people do this correctly. Many business classes teach students to spam all publications with press releases that are basically sales pitches about their business. What a waste.

So, before spending huge sums on publicity, or conducting campaigns that waste time, take a look at your overall strategy to ensure it's the right one. A marketing coach or consultant can advise on that direction, and should be able to refer a good publicist when the strategy is sound. Once you know what to do, the actual doing of it is easy. Here's a free article that might offer some traditional print media tips, too. Or "Knowledge is Bliss" as we say.

Marketing is like Gardening

If you can grow a plant, you can do your own marketing.

As I tend the heat-wilted flowers in my garden, I am reminded that marketing skills are so similar:

1. If you plant an idea, or a seed, then something will grow once it's tended. If we don't nurture our garden (or business) and keep it watered, keep developing or promoting our services then no one can find us and we'll just wilt. Sometimes it's as easy as a few blogs or networking meetings to 'water' your business and keep your clientele fruitful.

2. Something might sprout that you least expect. I've had a california poppy sprout when I planted basil seeds. I'd not known that there had already been poppy seeds latent in the earth near the basil. Same as launching a business with one service and later realizing clients really need something that was only a 'seed' of the original idea.

For example, I've a client (www.herecomestheguide.com) who writes a book & website about great locations (and certified professionals) for weddings and events. While we originally thought the book was the 'way', it turns out our add-on idea (our latent seeds) offering virtual tours was at least as beneficial to clients as our amazing write-ups.

3. Weed out what doesn't work. My friend, Beth, says a 'weed is just a plant out of place'. But if you've some task, client or even computer program that's not working properly, it's time to weed it out so your business has the room to flourish-exactly like a garden.

I found I'd been resisting getting quickbooks set up to track my financials for years & years, preferring my old excel spreadsheet system. Perhaps I was in denial about finances in my early years, fearing if my business wasn't profitable enough, worried I'd have to get a full time job, yikes. But once I weeded my fear and 'planted' quickbooks, I was able to see a picture of my business that allowed me to understand what to promote and which things were simply taking too much time for too little profit, ahhh knowledge is bliss. Removing old weeds allowed for new growth.