Marketing Plans – From Subscribers4 min read
share:
Last week I put out a challenge to send me your plans for getting new clients as quickly as possible.
I got a number of responses and three are posted below.
What I was looking for was the simplest, fastest, most effective strategy to get in front of prospective clients.
The problem with many strategies is that they have 27 steps and take a long time to implement. We often get so caught up in the plan that we forget the objective.
So, for me, the one below, by Normal Lieberman is the winner because of its powerful simplicity.
“I’m a successful Executive Recruiter for the past 38 years. Whenever I want more business I pick up the phone and call key decision makers at target companies. I verbally present a top-performing candidate who would add significant measurable value by resolving a current costly project in the decision maker’s department.
“Promise to resolve a tough problem that the target company has, and you will prosper…..period. You must get to the correct decision maker. If not, you will be chasing your tail.”
I also like the following plan from John Nyamunda because it’s almost identical to the speaking plan I used very successfully for many years. Yes, it does take a longer time, but the advantage is that you pre-sell your expertise when you give a talk, and those who attend are then open to learning more about how you can help them.
“I would quickly create a talk and phone around to business clubs, chambers of commerce, rotary clubs etc. to see if they could give me a spot to present about the problem that my services are trying to solve.
“At the talk, I would collect people’s contact details by giving away something people will value e.g. a white paper. Thereafter, I’ll follow-up the same day or following day to book an appointment to have a marketing conversation, where I try to identify the challenges the prospect is having. Thereafter, I’ll set up a sales conversation appointment. If I’ve done a good job all along, then I should close a few of those people I have a sales conversation with.”
The final one from Alistair Dryburgh is also a direct approach that uses LinkedIn very proactively to make connections with the right prospective clients.
“You need an offering which is easy to buy. One decision-maker, relatively low-risk, simple to understand. You can’t afford to get involved with people who need to go to other people to get decisions – you just don’t have the time.
“The marketing approach needs to be very direct. You don’t have time to cultivate influencers and connectors, nurture leads for months, build a social media presence or get booked to speak at meetings. The ideal tool here is LinkedIn. Invite them to connect, offer them something like a white paper or other widget on your topic. If they bite, move to a conversation or free strategy session.
“You are new in town, so leverage that. If you have moved from Palo Alto to Pittsburgh, talk about what older-style industries can learn from Silicon Valley. Or find a nascent tech community who would be interested in what’s new in Palo Alto. If you are moving the other way, talk about what newer industries can learn from older (after all, they’re still here after 100+ years – they must know something)!”
What these three client-attracting plans have in common:
1. They are all relatively simple without too many moving parts. And they don’t take long to implement.
2. They use some form of direct outreach – that is, they start by going directly to someone who needs your services and who can make a decision.
3. They all emphasize clearly communicating your solution and the value that you offer.
However, what makes all of these plans somewhat challenging, is that they take a certain amount of courage and immunity to rejection.
When you reach out directly, not everyone is going to be interested. Not everyone will need what you’re offering.
To succeed with direct outreach approaches you need to be well prepared, be able to articulate a clear value proposition and be confident that you can help your clients achieve their objectives.
But all of those are true no matter how you market your services, right?
If you are not using some form of direct outreach to connect with your prospective clients, you are often spinning your wheels instead of shifting into gear and getting in front of those who can hire you.
How will you make the ideas in this article work for your business?
Cheers, Robert
share:
