More Clients - the Online Marketing Newsletter
for Independent Professionals
from Action Plan Marketing
and Robert MiddletonIn This Week's Issue: How can you breathe new life into your networking?
Instant Networking
Where on earth do you meet like-minded business people and make solid networking connections? Good question, because networking for most Independent Professionals is their number one marketing activity, and their number one marketing challenge.
But you're not alone if the networking events you attend have become stale and routine affairs attended by all the same people who don't seem to have much new to offer.
Whether you attend a morning leads group, a professional association or a chamber of commerce, networking at these events may be producing diminishing returns.
So how do you breathe new life into networking? The members of my Marketing Action Groups have come up with some ideas that I think are simply brilliant and relatively easy to do. I'll share just one with you today.
Jane Travaskis of Success-Catalyst (success-catalyst.com) realized one day that the best networking happens between those she knows well. So she arranged an "Instant Networking" event that was very successful.
She reserved a bar in the Washington D.C. Area and invited several of her business friends and associates who she thought would enjoy meeting each other. All in all, about 40 people showed up.
Here are a few of the things Jane shared with me about how she made the event a success:
- She sent invitations by email and also invited people face-to-face if she happened to bump into them. People she invited also brought friends.- She was able to get free bar appetizers if 30 or more people showed up and bought a drink.
- She sat at the door on a bar stool and welcomed guests as they arrived and then connected people by pointing out someone else they should meet.
- She handed out nametags and collected business cards and also had a copy of her one-page "Executive Summary" for people to pick up at the door.
- She plans to put names and contact information of those who attended on her web site in a password-protected area to facilitate continued networking.
- She is planning to do a similar event every other month to keep expanding her network and get known as an active networker.
I really liked Jane's approach to networking - "Just make it happen!" It's a simple, fast, inexpensive and very personalized way to keep your name out there and get know as a mover and shaker.
If you're tired of the same old group of people at networking events, try Jane's approach and you'll breath some new life into your network.
More on "A Dumb Mistake" in Marketing Flashes below.
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Hands On Marketing Ideas = You Taking Effective Action
The marketing idea in today's More Clients is not a "groundbreaking marketing secret revealed." It's just something that you can actually do without a huge amount of time and effort and that will yield positive marketing results.
People tell me they like the ideas in More Clients because they are practical and hands-on and don't contain a lot of hype and hyperbole (also known as marketing B.S.)
Look, I'm not a marketing genius. I just have some common sense and an eye for what works, for what you can actually do that will attract more clients to your business.
If you want a whole lot more information like this, 288 pages to be exact, then you are probably going to like the InfoGuru Marketing Manual a whole lot.
Order it today and check it out. And what do you have to lose? With my money back guarantee, absolutely nothing. But you have a whole lot to gain, as I've outlined below.
www.actionplan.com/infoguru.html- It was developed exclusively for Independent Professionals such as consultants, coaches, trainers and other service professionals who are great at what they do, but have a hard time consistently attracting clients to their businesses.
- The manual is based on a few powerful marketing principles that, once you understand them will transform your marketing. These essential principles are missed by almost everyone (and implemented by even fewer).
- The marketing principles contained in the manual will help you increase interest in your services, build trust and credibility with prospects, get prospects wanting to learn more about what you do, and create a steady stream of word-of-mouth business.
- It goes way beyond theory, vague generalizations or concepts, and contains hundreds of hands-on marketing strategies and action plans that are easy to implement, even if you have no marketing experience.
- It includes foundational marketing information on things like creating an attention-getting marketing message, and then goes into depth on the most recent marketing techniques of web marketing and eZines.
- You can read it like a book -- you can go through it slowly and do the exercises like a home-study course -- or you can refer to it whenever you have a question about marketing your business.
- It comes with over 11 hours of audio files with teleclasses and interviews on the finer points of marketing your services. These audio files alone are worth the price of the manual.
- I've included a boatload of extras, including 150 pages of articles, dozens of resources and, most importantly, the InfoGuru Support Forum, where you can get any question about marketing your services answered for free.
- The Support Forum can be used to answer questions, provide resources, and get "peer-review" of marketing materials, web sites, proposals and sales letters, as well as explore the more complex and confusing aspects of attracting clients to your business.
- It will help remove the mystery and struggle about marketing and selling that so many Independent Professionals experience, and will help you realize that marketing can actually be fun.
- It comes with my unconditional guarantee. Get it and try it. If you don't think it's worth much more than what you paid, tell me and I'll refund 100% of your purchase price.
- Unlike most marketing information sold on the web, the manual is available in both digital format (.pdf file) for immediate download, and for just a few dollars more, you can get a printed manual as well.
- The InfoGuru Marketing Manual was published in February of 2001, and it's just as relevant today, because I add to it regularly with updates of the manual that can be downloaded repeatedly at no additional cost.
- If you are looking for one tool that will help you attract clients with an approach and methodology that is highly effective but doesn't compromise your integrity, you've found it!
For complete details and to order online go to:
www.actionplan.com/infoguru.html~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marketing Flashes on "Instant Networking"
For many, networking stops after a networking event. But that's really when networking starts. To get the most out of networking events, do the following.
* Follow Up - Don't disappear after meeting someone at an event. Follow up by sending a note, an email or some valuable information. This makes you both memorable and valuable.
* Meet In Person - When you make a connection with someone at an event that shows promise, get back to them and set up a meeting over lunch or coffee and discuss how you can help each other.
* Send Referrals - Keep your eyes and ears open for people who could use the services of your new networking contacts and refer them whenever possible.
* Stay In Touch - Always mention that you have a newsletter or eZine and that you'd be happy to add them to your list. If they're on your list, they'll never forget you.
* Be a Catalyst - By arranging for networking opportunities like Jane Trevaskis, you'll gain a reputation as a valued resource person. And you'll be "top-of-mind" if someone needs your services.
Until next week, all the best,
Robert Middleton
ACTION PLAN MARKETING
Helping Independent Professionals Attract More Clients~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
210 Riverside Drive
Boulder Creek, CA 95006
831-338-7790© 2004 Robert Middleton, All rights reserved. You are free to use material from the More Clients eZine in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear. The attribution should read:
"By Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Please visit Robert's web site at http://www.actionplan.com for additional marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional service businesses."
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