Online
Our online strategy is a key component of our sales strategy and provides a significant volume on warm leads through to paying clients, all of which occur as an automated sales process.
Our online strategy has several components:
- Website Strategy
- Social Media Strategy
- Lead Generation Sales Strategy
Networking
Many business owners underestimate the value and power of networking. Any business that operates business-to-business (B2B) must ensure they do some form of networking.
Here are my top five reason to network:
- You increase your exposure to other people like yourself, with varying levels of experience and who all share a desire to help each other.
- Referral sources are a significant lead generation source for most businesses.
- Many strategic alliances are formed through networking events.
- You will build strong relationships with people you know, like and trust, who you will be able to rely on for advice on many areas of business, and where to go to get support and refer suppliers for your business.
- It’s great to get out of your business and work on it, rather than in it, and networking is generally a great social tool.
Here are my top five networking tips:
- Work the room − we often get in our comfort zone and hang around the same people. In a networking environment we need to do the opposite. Meet and talk to as many people as you can.
- You are not in a networking environment to just swap business cards − you need to build relationships.
- Remember FORM, when meeting someone for the first time. It makes it easier to start and carry a conversation (see below).
- The people in the room are not your leads. Often I see people work the room like everyone there needs to do business with them. The problem is that this is very limited thinking. Instead, build the relationship by following up the initial meeting with a coffee chat. As you learn more about the other person’s business, think how you can refer them to people you know. In turn, they will hopefully do the same. The power of networking is not as much about the person you are meeting as it is the many people they already know and network with.
- Have every business card saved in your contacts, connect with the contact on LinkedIn AND, most importantly, remember their name next time you meet.
FORM
When I was in a networking group in my early twenties, I was taught the FORM method. The method was simple and it helps when meeting someone for the first time to get conversation flowing. Work through FORM when you meet someone new.
Family
- Where are you from?
- Where did you go to school or university?
- How many kids do you have? What are their names and ages?
- Are you married? What is your spouse’s name?
 Occupation
- What kind of work do you do?
- What do you like about your job?
- What don’t you like about your job?
- How long have you been at your job?
- What made you get into that field?
 Recreation
- What do you do for fun? Hobbies?
- What sort of travel have you done?
- What do you do to relieve stress?
 Message
Once you have built rapport with someone, the message portion of FORM is about moving from the initial connection to how you can work together. This is where you organise a meeting or coffee chat.
Strategic Partnerships
Often, in business marketing, we look for all the ways to advertise and promote our business under the traditional headings, yet one of the most powerful forms of attracting new clients is by forming strategic alliances.
A strategic alliance is created by leveraging the client list or marketing potential of a non-competing business, with a similar target market and customer base, and working together to achieve greater results to the benefit of both parties.
Strategic alliances work when both parties to the alliance are focussed on achieving results and adding value to the other party.
Some examples of common strategic alliances might be:
- Conveyancers and real estate agents
- Mortgage brokers and home builders
- IT service providers and computer retailers
- Tennis coaching school and a local high school
- Subway restaurant and a local gym
Great strategic alliances should cost you little or no money to explore and develop. The key is leveraging the customer base of your alliance partner to grow your lead source and there should be a mutual benefit to your partner.
PR & Publicity
Nothing beats free publicity. Many big businesses spend tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, to promote themselves in the media. SMEs don’t have access to the funds to promote themselves as big corporations do, but they don’t need to.
Newspapers, TV stations and other media sources are always looking for stories and newsworthy items. You have what they are after, you just need to package it up the right way.
The key to getting free PR is to be relevant, timely and credible.
As all the big newspapers continue to lay off staff to cater for the digital age of media, newspapers are hungry for good content. However, the problem is they are inundated with content all the time, most of which is not great. If you want cut through and want your press release to be run, you need to ensure your content is relevant, timely and credible.
