Put in simple terms, you make your own luck. You do this through hard, work, perseverance, hard work - and did I mention hard work?
We all know that without a sale, nothing else can happen. You can’t send an invoice, you can’t get paid and you can reinvest that money into marketing to make more sales! Sales; the most vital part of running a business is not just down to experience and having a great product, it is built on the foundation of hard work. This hard work invariably involves picking up the phone and trying to engage people in such a way that they will buy from you. For the moment, let’s forget technique, and just look at the basics.
The phone: Still the best way of generating money quickly and finding clients, use it to its full advantage. Split up your day in such a way as to dedicate a large chunk of it to sales. Set a number of calls and conversations that you want to aim for, but most important of all try to have conversations, numbers are less important. Send follow up emails at the end of the day so you do not interrupt your day
Notes: Have some kind of system in place to record call notes and to diarise call backs, preferably a CRM system. They do not have to cost you a fortune, in fact some are even free!
Information Requests: Have some basic marketing collateral ready to send with your follow up email.
New Business: When you have some clients make sure you devote at least one day per week to going after new business.
Networking: This is just as important as telephone activit. Identify your local networking groups and make sure that you spend some time getting your face known for what you do.
Free Marketing: Use social media to build a following, write articles for your local business magazine, show people you know what you’re talking about, and they will want to talk to you.
If this all seems like hard work, that’s because it is. But it’s also a lot of fun. If you simply can’t see yourself using the phone to generate business or carrying out any of the functions above, then you should definitely consider outsourcing. Buying in expert help can be the most successful way of operating. Look at it the same way as bringing in an accountant. Trying to do your own accounting will take you three times longer, and will cost you far more money and time in the long run! It’s just the same with sales and marketing!
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