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Nine Ways to Build Your Business Without Making Cold Calls |
Method 1: Client base Saturation - When looking for new business, your current clients are always your BEST prospects! The focus of this approach is developing all client relationships to their maximum potential - helping them in every way possible and, in the process, laying a stronger foundation for their ongoing referrals.
Method 2: Refined Referral Building - Stronger client relationships should naturally lead to more and better referrals - but you need to know when and how to ask for them! This method focuses on securing high-level introductions into
companies with whom your existing clients have relationships.
Method 3: Professional Interpersonal Networking - Every day, human development professionals cross paths with millions of dollars in opportunities, yet allow the vast majority of those opportunities to pass them by. Why? They don't know how to transform virtually any social or business function into a lead generation event for themselves. Whether the event is as structured as an association meeting or a chamber of commerce mixer - or as casual as a church social or workout at the gym -
having skills that allow you to quickly, smoothly and comfortably meet the people you want to meet can open many doors.
Method 4: Value-Focused Farming - If your practice lends itself to pursuing a specific niche in the marketplace, farming could be the perfect path to your perfect harvest. Rather than spreading your assets far too thinly across a wide and poorly defined marketplace, you need to identify, isolate and invest in owning your niche. Quality, NOT QUANTITY, is the emphasis here and proving your value to a hand-selected pool of prospects is the strategy.
Method 5: Strategic Seminar Selling - Seminar selling isn't a thing of the past. Properly titled, targeted and executed, Strategic Seminar Selling can offer closing rates of 80% and more! The secret is to design, market and conduct seminars which build stronger relationships with your attendees, reveal better information for qualifying them as prospects and offer a virtually guaranteed appointment with the best prospects in attendance.
Method 6: Secrets of Trade Show Selling - For many companies, the traditional trade show is an expensive distraction from their real business of selling. But designed, staffed, operated and followed-up properly, a booth could generate all of the leads to keep your business booked solid. Whether you are new to selling at trade shows or a seasoned exhibitor, this method stresses the importance of booth design and staffing if you want to maximize the return on your trade show investment - before, during and after the show!
Method 7: Image Marketing - Like any other professional, your image is crucial to your success. A strong reputation . . . a proven track record . . . a history of community support . . . these qualities and many more shape the way you are viewed by others. This method involves strategies for enhancing your presence in the public eye - gaining exposure, publicity, free advertising (and perhaps a little fame and fortune in the process).
Method 8: Leveraged Technology - It truly is an amazing time to be alive. The world of telecommunications has opened up a universe of opportunity for human development professionals to expand and redefine themselves and the work they do. Using the Internet as a 24-hour lead generation tool - and remote learning systems like teleconferencing and videoconferencing as the backbone of your operation - takes creativity, commitment and a keen awareness of the latest technologies' unique demands. But the rewards could be massive for those who aren't easily overwhelmed.
Method 9: Expert Positioning - Every industry has its experts - and there-s no reason why you can't become one of them! While the task is HUGE, this approach focuses on establishing yourself as THE industry expert at the local, regional, national level or international levels. If you see yourself LESS as a PROVIDER of services to end-users and MORE of a PROVIDER to PROVIDERS of services to end users, this is the method for you to master.
Rather than being a dabbler in ALL of the methods you've just explored, focusing on the BEST method for building your business is critical to your success. Every method takes time, money and consistency in order to work effectively - and no truly successful professional has any time to waste. Which is why you should probably reconsider.
Method 0: Cold Calling - No article about NOT making cold calls would be complete without a paragraph or two ABOUT cold calling! Why? Because the majority of professionals who are looking for alternative ways to generate leads are doing so because they are AFRAID of cold calling - and that's NOT the right reason to be looking at options. The truth is that NONE of the methods listed above offer you the DIRECTNESS that good, old-fashioned prospecting calls offer. It's fast ... cheap ... and actually quite easy to turn cold calling into a pleasant and prosperous approach for building your business.Article source http://w4rum.com/2502.t
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| Money 2 Money 2 You |
| [By Alex Wu] [05/May/07] |
