Looking for ways to grow your business? Well, it’s time to get out there and start meeting people. When it comes to marketing your business, nothing beats the power of other people.
Meeting people face-to-face is an essential part of any successful entrepreneur’s marketing efforts. Consider the power of person-to-person marketing from the point-of-view of the customer. For instance, if you’re a business owner looking for a Web site developer, you’ll be much more comfortable hiring a Web developer you’ve met at a business event even though you may not have any idea how good his technical skills are. At least you’ve met him face to face.
That’s the power of person-to-person marketing. And that’s why you’ll want to make person-to-person marketing a major part of your marketing strategy, regardless of what type of business or industry you’re in.
Feel you’re too shy to get out there? Take heart. You don’t have to be the most gregarious person you know or a salesperson at heart to be effective at person-to-person marketing. By selecting the right type of personal marketing, learning a few simple techniques, and preparing before you meet with people, even shy people can shine.
Prepare Your Message
One of the most important things to do to prepare is to practice your “message.” In any form of marketing, it’s important to know what you want people to remember. But in person-to-person marketing, it’s critical.
Broadly defined, person-to person marketing is any activity that involves building your business by interacting directly with other people. Anyone you meet can potentially be a client or referral source. Specifically, however, there are a few key activities associated with person-to-person marketing:
• Attending business and community events.
• Entertaining clients and prospects.
• Developing relationships with people who can refer your company to others.
• Hosting events.
• Exhibiting at trade shows.
Don’t think of person-to-person marketing as sales, although it is an extremely effective way to generate sales leads, the names and contact information of individuals (or companies) that are potential customers.
Here’s how it works: Let’s say your company makes solar panels for commercial buildings. So you attend an industry event for architects, which has a “networking hour,” during which you meet a number of architects who build large corporate buildings.
During the networking time, don’t try to corner an architect and make a sale. Instead, “work the room,” meeting a number of architects, telling them what your company does, exchanging business cards. You leave with a pocketful of cards that you can later follow up to make a sale.
You might think of this as a free activity. But it usually comes with its own associated costs, from the fees to join and attend networking organizations to the costs of exhibiting at trade shows.
But while person-to-person marketing is not completely free, it’s one of the most affordable forms of marketing for entrepreneurial companies. If you’re on a tight budget, your efforts may be as simple as taking customers and referral sources to coffee or attending free events.
Person-to-person marketing is one of the most affordable ways to grow your business. One of the best ways to do that is to meet as many people as you can. So get out there!
Rhonda Abrams is the president of The Planning Shop, publisher of books for entrepreneurs, including “Six-Week Start-Up.”
