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Suggest You - 10 Creative And Low-Cost Ways To Locate New Business Leads
Firework displays are a traditional part of summertime celebrations. There's something about them -- the noise, the color, the pyrotechnic glory -- that resonates with crowds. According to some experts, fireworks as we know them got started in the 10th century. That means that this basic technology has been wowing spectators for a very, very long time. Yet when I attended a recent fireworks display, I overheard a woman saying this: "I don't know how they do it. Every year it's the same thing, but they keep making it better somehow." Wouldn't every exhibitor love to hear that about their booth? It appears that the fireworks companies have mastered what trade show exhibitors often struggle with: presenting the same products and services in a way that's new and exciting. What can tradeshow exhibitors learn from the pyrotechnic pros? The answers might surprise you. You can do a lot in a very limited time
8. Target Large Office Buildings In Your Area.
Once you have developed a target list of office buildings I would then come up with a good marketing flyer. What should you say? How can you get their attention? I would put together a flyer that includes an offer for “Free Starbucks” or “Free Pizza” for their entire office (then set up a meeting with your target prospect). In fact, if you do decide to do the Starbuck’s flyer you may even want to carry around a Starbucks cup (might be easier empty) with you!
9. Exhibit At Tradeshows.
Get familiar with all the local networking association and groups in your area. Many of these organizations have quarterly or annual tradeshows. If you decide to be an exhibitor then I have one suggestion for you! BE PROACTIVE! Don’t wait for people to come to you! You need to bring your prospects to your table. How do you do this? I have five words for you, what are they? A positive attitude is contagious!
10. Form Your Own Networking Group!
Do you know what time it is? It’s time to start your own networking group! You can keep your expenses down by having each member host a different networking event at their office location. I would try to keep your group to a manageable membership level of about 20 members. This way you can get to know everyone so that you can easily exchange business leads.<
As a business and technology consultant there is one significant error I continue to see in modern business practice. Too often, management treats their payroll expense as a fixed cost of doing business. This is caused by the accounting practice of lumping payroll as a operating expense line item. While this is an acceptable accounting practice, a good manager must accept the reality that the work output of the employee should be directly proportional to the salary.Too often I have heard managers state something to the effect of "Well, we are paying him anyway so he might as well work on that project." This is shortsighted and just plain dumb. Logically, a good employee works on what is assigned to him or her. It is the job of a good manager to ensure that the work performed is delivering positive value to the corporate enterprise. This is why you don't pay a Chief Financial Officer to empty the trash cans; it is a poor use of resources.For example, XYZ Corpor
A majority of chambers across the United States have a searchable online member directory. Where are these online directories located on these chamber sites? Many of these directories will be listed under the “Membership” or “About Us” button. Or, you might see a button that says, “Membership Directory” or “Business Directory.”
How do you locate chambers of commerce in your area? One way is to compile a list of all the major cities in your area. Once you have completed this task I would then take each city (one at a time) and enter them into a google.com search. Next to each word, I would type the phrase, “and chamber of commerce.” (i.e. Denver and chamber of commerce). Is there an easier way? Yes, you could try going to a website that offers a database of U.S. chambers. An example of this would be (www.2chambers.com), but do keep in mind that while they have a large list of chambers they may not have every chamber in your area. For this reason, it might be in your best interest to try both of these ideas!
2. Get Your Hands On Your Local Business Newspaper Or Magazine.
Do you want to know what’s going on in your local business community? Then buy a copy of your local business newspaper or magazine. Many of these periodicals have an online website where you can get some of this information for FREE! Also, when you contact prospects that are featured in one of these two mediums it’s a fantastic way to warm up your cold calls! These prospects could be in featured stories, picture captions, in advertisements or even in a section called “People On The Move” (business professionals who have been promoted or who have just joined a company). Have you ever done this? If not, or even if you have, check out my latest article called: “Cold Calling The Movie Star Way!”
3. Target Industry Associations.
Make a list of all your target prospects (i.e. attorneys, doctors, chiropractors, builders, marketing professionals….). For each prospect enter them into the search box of google.com along with these words “and association” (i.e. doctor and association). You can even target this search further by adding an “and” then follow your keyword with your state (you will get more responses when type a state in the search box versus typing a specific city). For example, your search would look like this: doctor and association and California. Once you locate the website of an industry association you can see if they have an online searchable member directory. If they don't then perhaps they have an upcoming networking event that you could attend.
4. Use PR Newswire Association To Find FREE BUSINESS LEADS!
A phenomenal source for finding FREE business leads is PR Newswire Association (www.prnewswire.com). This service provides electronic distribution of news for nearly 40,000 corporate, government, association, labor, non-profit, and other customers worldwide. These companies use PR Newswire to reach a variety of critical audiences including the news media, the investment community, government decision-makers, and the general public with their up- to-the-minute, full-text news developments.
If you visit (www.prnewswire.com) and click on the "Advanced Search" text link just under the "Search Box" you will enter a special section where you can search thru a multitude of press releases (within the last 30 days). You can perform searches by company, industry, subject, state, and even search by keyword! In my opinion, one of the best features on PR Newswire is your ability to search for newly hired or promoted business executives (i.e. Personnel Announcements located under the news by subject search feature) in over 50 industries in all 50 states. This is definitely worth your time!
5. Consider Using The Fish Bowl Marketing Technique To Generate Leads.
Fish Bowl Marketing allows you to get hundreds of leads, even thousands of leads. How is this possible? It's so easy, first you need to locate a restaurant that caters to your target demographics (i.e. business professionals). Next, walk into the restaurant and ask to speak with the owner. If they say, "The owner can't speak with you right now!" You then say, "Would the owner speak with me if I were going to buy 11 people lunch every week for the next few months?" When you respond this way it will increase your chances of speaking with the business owner. When the owner enters what do you then say?
Here is one suggestion:
"Hi, My name is _______, I'm with ___________ and I would like to buy 11 people lunch on me every week for the next few months." The owner will then say, "Sure, how?" You then say, "I would like to put a fishbowl by your register. The sign that is posted on the fishbowl will indicate that the winner will receive FREE LUNCH and may invite 10 other people from their office (or if you like, you can say that you will draw names individually--it depends on your target audience)." The sign that you post will also indicate that the winners receive FREE Lunch while they attend a 5 to 10 minute seminar on your product or service. Your next job is to come up with something catchy, creative and fun. You need a topic that inspires people to drop their card into the bowl. Finally, make sure that your sign looks professional and eye- catching.
6. Locate Companies That List Their Employees Online.
Many companies list their top-level executives online. There are also companies that list their employees in a searchable online database. What companies? Here are a few examples:
* Law Firms
* Residential Real Estate Firms
* Commercial Real Estate Firms
* Insurance Agencies
* Financial Institutions
7. Develop A Referral Program.
I would devote one hour each day to calling your existing customers. I would start off the call as a customer service call and then if you hear that they are happy simply ask them directly for a referral. As a courtesy, I would then follow up your call with a nice thank you note. You may even want to keep track how many referrals you get and how many referrals convert to actual sales. My guess is that you will be more than pleased with your results! Another suggestion that you could try is to send a direct mail piece or even an email and offer your customers a free gift in exchange for a few solid referrals.
8. Target Large Office Buildings In Your Area.
Once you have developed a target list of office buildings I would then come up with a good marketing flyer. What should you say? How can you get their attention? I would put together a flyer that includes an offer for “Free Starbucks” or “Free Pizza” for their entire office (then set up a meeting with your target prospect). In fact, if you do decide to do the Starbuck’s flyer you may even want to carry around a Starbucks cup (might be easier empty) with you!
9. Exhibit At Tradeshows.
Get familiar with all the local networking association and groups in your area. Many of these organizations have quarterly or annual tradeshows. If you decide to be an exhibitor then I have one suggestion for you! BE PROACTIVE! Don’t wait for people to come to you! You need to bring your prospects to your table. How do you do this? I have five words for you, what are they? A positive attitude is contagious!
10. Form Your Own Networking Group!
Do you know what time it is? It’s time to start your own networking group! You can keep your expenses down by having each member host a different networking event at their office location. I would try to keep your group to a manageable membership level of about 20 members. This way you can get to know everyone so that you can easily exchange business leads. Marketing Thru Referrals for Boat Cleaning Services
Cleaning and detailing boats is a very good business especially for the nautical type person who would rather spend their time at the marina that just about any other place. But how does one go about getting customers and marketing their services. Better yet how does on market thru referrals for their boat cleaning and detailing business?Well, simple really. You see you need to get with the other business who operate the marinas and services business. For instance if you make a deal with a Marina operator they may allow you to put your business cards and flyers in the monthly slip fee statements. Be sure to give a discount to those at that Marina, this also makes the marina look good.It is also advisable to be on a first name basis with all the Yacht Salesmen in the area, because everyone knows that clean boats sell good. Additionally you can increase referrals by giving discounts or add-on free services to your customers who refer you the most.Another
3. Target Industry Associations.
Make a list of all your target prospects (i.e. attorneys, doctors, chiropractors, builders, marketing professionals….). For each prospect enter them into the search box of google.com along with these words “and association” (i.e. doctor and association). You can even target this search further by adding an “and” then follow your keyword with your state (you will get more responses when type a state in the search box versus typing a specific city). For example, your search would look like this: doctor and association and California. Once you locate the website of an industry association you can see if they have an online searchable member directory. If they don't then perhaps they have an upcoming networking event that you could attend.
4. Use PR Newswire Association To Find FREE BUSINESS LEADS!
A phenomenal source for finding FREE business leads is PR Newswire Association (www.prnewswire.com). This service provides electronic distribution of news for nearly 40,000 corporate, government, association, labor, non-profit, and other customers worldwide. These companies use PR Newswire to reach a variety of critical audiences including the news media, the investment community, government decision-makers, and the general public with their up- to-the-minute, full-text news developments.
If you visit (www.prnewswire.com) and click on the "Advanced Search" text link just under the "Search Box" you will enter a special section where you can search thru a multitude of press releases (within the last 30 days). You can perform searches by company, industry, subject, state, and even search by keyword! In my opinion, one of the best features on PR Newswire is your ability to search for newly hired or promoted business executives (i.e. Personnel Announcements located under the news by subject search feature) in over 50 industries in all 50 states. This is definitely worth your time!
5. Consider Using The Fish Bowl Marketing Technique To Generate Leads.
Fish Bowl Marketing allows you to get hundreds of leads, even thousands of leads. How is this possible? It's so easy, first you need to locate a restaurant that caters to your target demographics (i.e. business professionals). Next, walk into the restaurant and ask to speak with the owner. If they say, "The owner can't speak with you right now!" You then say, "Would the owner speak with me if I were going to buy 11 people lunch every week for the next few months?" When you respond this way it will increase your chances of speaking with the business owner. When the owner enters what do you then say?
Here is one suggestion:
"Hi, My name is _______, I'm with ___________ and I would like to buy 11 people lunch on me every week for the next few months." The owner will then say, "Sure, how?" You then say, "I would like to put a fishbowl by your register. The sign that is posted on the fishbowl will indicate that the winner will receive FREE LUNCH and may invite 10 other people from their office (or if you like, you can say that you will draw names individually--it depends on your target audience)." The sign that you post will also indicate that the winners receive FREE Lunch while they attend a 5 to 10 minute seminar on your product or service. Your next job is to come up with something catchy, creative and fun. You need a topic that inspires people to drop their card into the bowl. Finally, make sure that your sign looks professional and eye- catching.
6. Locate Companies That List Their Employees Online.
Many companies list their top-level executives online. There are also companies that list their employees in a searchable online database. What companies? Here are a few examples:
* Law Firms
* Residential Real Estate Firms
* Commercial Real Estate Firms
* Insurance Agencies
* Financial Institutions
7. Develop A Referral Program.
I would devote one hour each day to calling your existing customers. I would start off the call as a customer service call and then if you hear that they are happy simply ask them directly for a referral. As a courtesy, I would then follow up your call with a nice thank you note. You may even want to keep track how many referrals you get and how many referrals convert to actual sales. My guess is that you will be more than pleased with your results! Another suggestion that you could try is to send a direct mail piece or even an email and offer your customers a free gift in exchange for a few solid referrals.
8. Target Large Office Buildings In Your Area.
Once you have developed a target list of office buildings I would then come up with a good marketing flyer. What should you say? How can you get their attention? I would put together a flyer that includes an offer for “Free Starbucks” or “Free Pizza” for their entire office (then set up a meeting with your target prospect). In fact, if you do decide to do the Starbuck’s flyer you may even want to carry around a Starbucks cup (might be easier empty) with you!
9. Exhibit At Tradeshows.
Get familiar with all the local networking association and groups in your area. Many of these organizations have quarterly or annual tradeshows. If you decide to be an exhibitor then I have one suggestion for you! BE PROACTIVE! Don’t wait for people to come to you! You need to bring your prospects to your table. How do you do this? I have five words for you, what are they? A positive attitude is contagious!
10. Form Your Own Networking Group!
Do you know what time it is? It’s time to start your own networking group! You can keep your expenses down by having each member host a different networking event at their office location. I would try to keep your group to a manageable membership level of about 20 members. This way you can get to know everyone so that you can easily exchange business leads.<
DECIDING WHAT TO DELEGATE: Once the benefits of delegation are established and obstacles removed, the next step in the delegation process is to decide what work can and should be delegated. In general, work to be delegated should adhere to the following guidelines: — It can be handled adequately down the line. — All necessary information for decision making is also available down the line. — The work involves operational detail rather than planning or organization. — The task does not require skills unique to the manager or position. — An individual other than the manager has, or can have, direct control over the task.WHAT NOT TO DELEGATE: There are, of course, tasks that should never be delegated: work that involves confidential information; “crash programs” that usually demand the experience and expertise of management; and tasks involving supervisor-subordinate relations such as employee evaluations, development, training, compensation, counseling, discipline, and
If you visit (www.prnewswire.com) and click on the "Advanced Search" text link just under the "Search Box" you will enter a special section where you can search thru a multitude of press releases (within the last 30 days). You can perform searches by company, industry, subject, state, and even search by keyword! In my opinion, one of the best features on PR Newswire is your ability to search for newly hired or promoted business executives (i.e. Personnel Announcements located under the news by subject search feature) in over 50 industries in all 50 states. This is definitely worth your time!
5. Consider Using The Fish Bowl Marketing Technique To Generate Leads.
Fish Bowl Marketing allows you to get hundreds of leads, even thousands of leads. How is this possible? It's so easy, first you need to locate a restaurant that caters to your target demographics (i.e. business professionals). Next, walk into the restaurant and ask to speak with the owner. If they say, "The owner can't speak with you right now!" You then say, "Would the owner speak with me if I were going to buy 11 people lunch every week for the next few months?" When you respond this way it will increase your chances of speaking with the business owner. When the owner enters what do you then say?
Here is one suggestion:
"Hi, My name is _______, I'm with ___________ and I would like to buy 11 people lunch on me every week for the next few months." The owner will then say, "Sure, how?" You then say, "I would like to put a fishbowl by your register. The sign that is posted on the fishbowl will indicate that the winner will receive FREE LUNCH and may invite 10 other people from their office (or if you like, you can say that you will draw names individually--it depends on your target audience)." The sign that you post will also indicate that the winners receive FREE Lunch while they attend a 5 to 10 minute seminar on your product or service. Your next job is to come up with something catchy, creative and fun. You need a topic that inspires people to drop their card into the bowl. Finally, make sure that your sign looks professional and eye- catching.
6. Locate Companies That List Their Employees Online.
Many companies list their top-level executives online. There are also companies that list their employees in a searchable online database. What companies? Here are a few examples:
* Law Firms
* Residential Real Estate Firms
* Commercial Real Estate Firms
* Insurance Agencies
* Financial Institutions
7. Develop A Referral Program.
I would devote one hour each day to calling your existing customers. I would start off the call as a customer service call and then if you hear that they are happy simply ask them directly for a referral. As a courtesy, I would then follow up your call with a nice thank you note. You may even want to keep track how many referrals you get and how many referrals convert to actual sales. My guess is that you will be more than pleased with your results! Another suggestion that you could try is to send a direct mail piece or even an email and offer your customers a free gift in exchange for a few solid referrals.
8. Target Large Office Buildings In Your Area.
Once you have developed a target list of office buildings I would then come up with a good marketing flyer. What should you say? How can you get their attention? I would put together a flyer that includes an offer for “Free Starbucks” or “Free Pizza” for their entire office (then set up a meeting with your target prospect). In fact, if you do decide to do the Starbuck’s flyer you may even want to carry around a Starbucks cup (might be easier empty) with you!
9. Exhibit At Tradeshows.
Get familiar with all the local networking association and groups in your area. Many of these organizations have quarterly or annual tradeshows. If you decide to be an exhibitor then I have one suggestion for you! BE PROACTIVE! Don’t wait for people to come to you! You need to bring your prospects to your table. How do you do this? I have five words for you, what are they? A positive attitude is contagious!
10. Form Your Own Networking Group!
Do you know what time it is? It’s time to start your own networking group! You can keep your expenses down by having each member host a different networking event at their office location. I would try to keep your group to a manageable membership level of about 20 members. This way you can get to know everyone so that you can easily exchange business leads.<
One of the best tools that I have used is a phone number capturing system that enables people to request information 24/7, and today you are able to get them at fire sale prices.When this system is used, not only do you increase the number of calls that are generated from your listings and reports, you are providing a valuable service to your customer.It only stands to reason, that the person that is accessing information in our world of convenience will want immediate gratification. If you are not offering this quick and easy access you are missing the mother load of potential leads.An additional advantage to this technique is that you can dramatically cut down on your work load. Your clients qualify themselves, you do not have to spend additional time on the phone trying to get a name and a number and you get to call back better prepared for the call. However, I can not stress this enough, you will most certainly increase the number of calls you wi
6. Locate Companies That List Their Employees Online.
Many companies list their top-level executives online. There are also companies that list their employees in a searchable online database. What companies? Here are a few examples:
* Law Firms
* Residential Real Estate Firms
* Commercial Real Estate Firms
* Insurance Agencies
* Financial Institutions
7. Develop A Referral Program.
I would devote one hour each day to calling your existing customers. I would start off the call as a customer service call and then if you hear that they are happy simply ask them directly for a referral. As a courtesy, I would then follow up your call with a nice thank you note. You may even want to keep track how many referrals you get and how many referrals convert to actual sales. My guess is that you will be more than pleased with your results! Another suggestion that you could try is to send a direct mail piece or even an email and offer your customers a free gift in exchange for a few solid referrals.
8. Target Large Office Buildings In Your Area.
Once you have developed a target list of office buildings I would then come up with a good marketing flyer. What should you say? How can you get their attention? I would put together a flyer that includes an offer for “Free Starbucks” or “Free Pizza” for their entire office (then set up a meeting with your target prospect). In fact, if you do decide to do the Starbuck’s flyer you may even want to carry around a Starbucks cup (might be easier empty) with you!
9. Exhibit At Tradeshows.
Get familiar with all the local networking association and groups in your area. Many of these organizations have quarterly or annual tradeshows. If you decide to be an exhibitor then I have one suggestion for you! BE PROACTIVE! Don’t wait for people to come to you! You need to bring your prospects to your table. How do you do this? I have five words for you, what are they? A positive attitude is contagious!
10. Form Your Own Networking Group!
Do you know what time it is? It’s time to start your own networking group! You can keep your expenses down by having each member host a different networking event at their office location. I would try to keep your group to a manageable membership level of about 20 members. This way you can get to know everyone so that you can easily exchange business leads.<
I am hard-pressed to think of any type of business these days that could not benefit from having a web site.Consumers just assume if you're in business that you have a web site. If they don't know your web site address, they type your business name into a search engine.Or, they add ".com" to the end of your business name to see what comes up.What Domain Name Should You Use?For these reasons it's important to not just have a web site, but to also have a domain name or URL (e.g. www.10stepmarketing.com), that matches your business name.That's why it is so important when selecting a business name, to also check to see if the domain is available.Don't Make the Mistake I MadeI made the mistake of NOT doing this when I started my marketing consulting business eight years ago. I simply picked a name for my business and off I went.At the time, I didn't feel it was necessary to have a web site. So I never even considered lookin
8. Target Large Office Buildings In Your Area.
Once you have developed a target list of office buildings I would then come up with a good marketing flyer. What should you say? How can you get their attention? I would put together a flyer that includes an offer for “Free Starbucks” or “Free Pizza” for their entire office (then set up a meeting with your target prospect). In fact, if you do decide to do the Starbuck’s flyer you may even want to carry around a Starbucks cup (might be easier empty) with you!
9. Exhibit At Tradeshows.
Get familiar with all the local networking association and groups in your area. Many of these organizations have quarterly or annual tradeshows. If you decide to be an exhibitor then I have one suggestion for you! BE PROACTIVE! Don’t wait for people to come to you! You need to bring your prospects to your table. How do you do this? I have five words for you, what are they? A positive attitude is contagious!
10. Form Your Own Networking Group!
Do you know what time it is? It’s time to start your own networking group! You can keep your expenses down by having each member host a different networking event at their office location. I would try to keep your group to a manageable membership level of about 20 members. This way you can get to know everyone so that you can easily exchange business leads.
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