50% of business comes from networking claims 20% of women

Recent research from the UK says that 20% of women claim 50% of their business each year comes as a result of networking. That's astounding! What are you doing to improve your networking results?

In my last post one of the key points was to "get out more". Do you have a plan to get out to events where you can meet potential clients and referrers?

Don't waste your time on attending an event that is purely social - and kidding yourself that you will get decent business contacts from it. Be realistic. Step outside your comfort zone. You'll get much better results.

My top tips for networking:

1. Find events where potential clients or referrers will gather - and where there is an opportunity to mingle with them.
   
2. Be prepared with what to say about yourself and your business.
3. Be prepared to ask insightful questions and listen to others.
4. Follow up after the event. Send a 'thank you' email, preferably with some helpful information, or links to educational info on your web site.
5. For ideal referrers, make sure you arrange a personal meeting to get a clear understanding of how you can help them, and also educate them on what you do.
6. Make sure you remain in regular (yet appropriate) contact. Don't flood them with emails.

Go on... get out there and mingle.

Low budget marketing can get big budget results

Time and again I speak with clients - large and small - who just don't have as much marketing money to spend as they need. Or as much as they 'think' they need! Don't be too quick to think you can't afford highly-effective marketing tactics. Often the cost of these tactics is more about your perserverance than it is about the dollars required. There are many low-budget yet very effective marketing tactics you can use to attract more clients.

In this article from Inc.com there are 5 low budget ways to dramatically increase awareness of your business.

1. Become an expert.
2. Pick a partner.
3. Reach out via email.
4. Leverage the immediacy of the internet.
5. Go out... a lot!

Reality is that for many service businesses it is necessary to establish your credibility (and therefore awareness) over a period of time. Sure, in some cases you can fast-track that awareness. An example of this is speaking to groups of prospects rather than having one-to-one conversations.

The key is to make sure you are being active with your marketing efforts. Don't wait until the time is better, or for when you have more money to put into it. Make a start today.

Top tips for marketing on the radio

Recently I was featured in an article in Australian Broker magazine discussing using radio as part of your marketing campaign. I didn't really agree with the CEO of Commercial Radio Australia. She says it should be "an essential part of any advertising mix".

In this article I explain when radio advertising can be helpful, and why you shouldn't do it. As I say in the article, one of my main points is:

"Generally speaking, radio isn't effective at building trust for financial services, so I wouldn't usually recommend it being part of a mortgage broker's marketing program," he says. That said, he does concede that it may be the right medium for certain brokers; if they can deliver the right message. "If the audience mix is right, the coverage is right and the price is affordable, then maybe radio advertising should be considered as a possible marketing tactic," says Ayling.

See if you agree!

Assess the health of your business now - online

There is some fantastic information from government websites. Check out this online business health assessment from Business Link in the UK. You get immediate feedback on how your business is going. And there are links to exactly the information you need to fix any problems. Wow!

By the way... if you find out you need help with marketing, or need to improve your sales - give me a call or check out my self-paced sales training course.

Speaking should be part of your marketing strategy

For many service businesses the act of "speaking" should be an important component of the marketing mix. Paul Evans provides some great tips on what you should forget when doing your next presentation.

One of the biggest challenges facing a service business is to establish your expertise (and positioning) in the minds of your potential clients. Speaking to groups or conferences, and presenting training events such as workshops can be the ideal forum to let prospects see what you have to offer.

Before you get in front of the audience... make sure you have prepared yourself. It is not the time to "wing it" and hope everything goes well. Make sure you:

• Know your audience as well as possible.
• Understand your own material.
• Have a clear structure for your presentation.
• Are well presented (relevant to the occasion and audience).
• Have all material prepared (handouts, visuals, etc).
• Have rehearsed your material AND timing.

Lastly, remember that when you have the stage the audience wants you to be a success, and they want to enjoy your presentation. Treat yourself well by preparing properly and it will show through on the day.

Launched today - The Corporate Blogging Book

I've just finished reading an advance copy of Debbie Weil's new book - The Corporate Blogging Book. From today you can buy it at Amazon and save 35% (only $15.57 USD) . If you are in a smaller business don't let the 'corporate' title turn you away. It is a book about how to use blogs to get better business results. I like the way Debbie takes a no-fuss and low-tech approach to explaining what many people think is just a geeky novelty. As Debbie says on page 147:

"This book stands on the premise that blogging has not been overhyped. It's not a fad. It's a new communications tool - in fact a whole new arena of marketing - that every businessperson needs to become conversant with, if not fluent in."

For service providers a blog can be the best way to maintain current communications with clients and prospects. Check out The Corporate Blogging Book - you wont be disappointed.

Oops - previous link now working

Hi everyone. Thanks to fellow blogger Paul Woods (see his blog here) I have now fixed a problem with the link in my previous post to my sales training e-course at www.MySalesTutor.com. My apologies to anyone who tried the link and couldn't get through.

It is also interesting that since publication of the article just two days ago I have received a number of enquiries, new subscribers to the free sales tips offered at MySalesTutor.com, and some sales of the e-course.

Marketing reminder for today: What are you doing to keep your business in front of potential clients?