The Net-Tech Report with Chris KauzaWith everyone focused on trying to take advantage of the down economy to take share & get new clients, here are 10 things you can do right now to move the advantage in your favor, and be more effective at building your client base:
1. Get New Business From Old:
Do you have a good relationship with your existing customers? Are you giving them good service (and do they KNOW it?)? Then you should ask them for help. Most people want to help others, especially if they appreciate the person. For each "cold call" you make, make a "warm call" to a client and "...ask for their help...".
2. Pitch a Stranger:
Sometimes, the best time to try out a new elevator pitch or Unique Selling Position, is with someone you've never met and may not meet again. Think about that person sitting next to you on the plane, asking you all of those questions - why not try your new pitch on them?
3. "Give It To Me Straight":
These days, it seems like time is even more scarce, and that no one has time for the "warm-up" to your presentation. Prepare well-honed phrases and practice them in front of a mirror. People like it if you are able to quickly and effectively get to the point. If you're communicating by email, try to present your information without having them scroll down to read it.
4. Talk About Your Failures:
...seriously! Everyone's made a mistake, now and then. It helps make you more approachable and can even build your credibility from a "been-there-done-that" perspective. It will help the person or prospect you are speaking to more easily relate to you.
5. Offer a "Loss-Leader":
Sometimes the best way to introduce a potential prospect to your company's product or services is by offering a loss-leader. This is a low-cost / low-risk entry point to your company's products or services, where you may be delivering it to them at a price point that is below your cost (hence the term "loss leader"). This is most often seen with B2B clients, but can also be effective in certain B2C relationships as well.
6. Get Sold Yourself:
Pick the most successful competitors in your area and let them sell you. Play customer and be aware of how you feel during each step. Assess what works and what doesn't. Auto-makers buy each others cars and break them down to nuts and bolts. You can do the same thing in your space.
7. Pitch an Enemy:
This might require a little more fortitude on your part, but can be very rewarding. Find the most disagreeable person you can find and give them your presentation. Let them be as nasty as they please, then analyze later if anything they said had any merit. Be totally unemotional, and don't defend anything. You may be surprised at what you learn...
8. Start an E-mail Newsletter:
This goes a long way to developing what I refer to as the "Know / Like / Trust Factor". Giving prospects useful information every week helps them get to know, start to like you and thus begin to Trust you. People buy from other people they know like and trust. Make them happy to see your name in the "from" field on the email. If they only hear from you when you want something, they'll ignore you.
9. Offer Testimonials:
Satisfied clients or customers can say things about you that you can't. It's more authentic and believable when someone else praises you than when you do it yourself. The best testimonials are video testimonials, as it gives the viewer a chance to literally "hear it straight from the person themselves", and video testimonials have more perceived credibility.
10. Ask Questions:
It sounds simple enough, but I can't emphasize enough how important and how under-used this is in business. Be Curious. When people can verbalize their needs it makes them happy, helps them "like you" and lets them know that you will listen to them. It also lets you know what is important to them, so you can properly position how yours is the best company to help them.
Need more ideas? Review past issues of The National Networker - there are LOTS of great ideas here for you!
For more information, please visit Chris's TNNWC Bio.
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