In the past, if you wanted to become a successful small business owner, it took passion, a skill, a great personality, and a willingness to meet people. But in today’s world, you need a strategy and system and an understanding of what will work in your business to bring in clients.
This is what I hear all of the time.
“Maybe I need to:
Ø post more on social media…”
Ø spend more time cold-calling…”
Ø join my local Chamber of Commerce…”
Ø hire this guru or that expert…”
Ø buy another promised result program”
And so it goes, until we are burnt out or in despair.
We are usually too busy taking care of our clients to pay enough attention to our own marketing and we really don’t know what to do or say, so we do nothing!
Here’s how I see it:
Ø It starts with knowing exactly WHO your best clients are (and no, you can’t be all things to all people).
Ø Your positioning and messaging must be clearly defined on a contemporary website that attracts prospects and converts them to leads. (It must be beautifully mobile optimized
like this one. Be sure to view this on mobile).
Ø You must be sending a branded, compelling, and educational newsletter delivered on a regular basis that positions you as a thought leader.
Ø You must have a branded and well-composed LinkedIn in profile
(like this one).Ø You must develop and execute a LinkedIn outreach strategy (depending on your target audience, other social media sites. You do not need them all.)
Ø You must develop and deliver an educational presentation
(like this one).
Ø You must have the ability to hold a brief, compelling conversation that engages the prospect to WANT to work with you (whether that is on the phone or in person).
In my experience, when we have these pieces in place, we can most effectively grow our business.
How many of these pieces do you have?
How many are working for you?
What needs improvement?
Will you let me help you?
