I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine the other day. She’s a successful video producer and boasted that she never has to do any marketing.

“Business just comes my way through word-of-mouth,” she said, which is not a very friendly thing to say when you’re having coffee with a marketing consultant (me.) Especially when that marketing consultant (me) is buying the coffee!

But a couple of minutes into the conversation, I discovered that she does a heck of a lot of marketing. She just doesn’t think of it as marketing. To her, it’s just meeting people and being helpful.

You see, she belongs to an association comprised mostly of professionals in her target market. It’s a very active group with well-attended meetings each month.

Now, here’s what she does for that association:

• Each year, she shoots the President’s welcome message for the association’s website, in return for a short blurb about her services on the website.
• During each monthly meeting, she walks around with a video camera on her shoulder, chatting with people and filming their comments and testimonials – pro bono.
• Each quarter she comes in and offers members an ultra low rate to shoot short welcome videos for their websites.

In short, what she has done is position herself as the go-to video producer for just about everyone in the association. No wonder she gets so many “word of mouth” enquiries and referrals.

Now that’s great marketing.

I know what you’re probably thinking at this point. “Is there an association I can join and become active in?”

Not every association is worth your time and energy. If you want to attract more clients using this “micro niche” strategy, you need to pick your group wisely.

Try to find an association that is comprised mainly of your target market. This is fairly easy if you’re focusing on, say, fundraising executives. You can simply get active in your local chapter of their association (the AFP.)

It gets a little trickier, however, if you’re targeting a group that doesn’t have it’s own association.

In that case, explore sub-groups of larger associations. Many larger associations have several, smaller special interest groups.

For example, I work with a lot of self-employed professionals in communications. There’s a humongous association called the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). On the surface, they seem to be comprised mainly of corporate communications managers – not my target market.

But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that the IABC has an active special interest group for self-employed communicators. In fact, I’ve done a few workshops for them.

And don’t forget online groups. There are a gazillion LinkedIn groups; although some are more active than others. My rule of thumb is: if someone is posting on a particular LinkedIn group at least once a day, and members regularly comment on those posts, then the group is active enough for me to take a closer look at.

Once you decide on an association to “micro niche” yourself in, don’t be a passive participant. Jump in with both feet. Volunteer. Do a talk. Explore other ways to become highly visible so everyone knows who you are and what you do.

But do me a favor? When the word-of-mouth enquiries and referrals start coming in, don’t say you’re not marketing. You’ll hurt my feelings. And I won’t pay for the coffee!

Let’s face it. You can do a fantastic job of prospecting, generating leads, attracting referrals and word-of-mouth, and basically getting lots of potential clients to find out about you and your services.

That will definitely get you some business.

But you can get a lot more business – and, I suspect, better clients – if you take a more active role in getting “prospect meetings”.

A prospect meeting is simply an opportunity to discuss a prospect’s needs and how your services may be able to help.

By meeting, I don’t necessarily mean a formal in-person presentation at the prospect’s office. In fact, most of my prospect meetings are much more casual and impromptu, and conducted over the phone.

One thing’s for sure…

The more prospects you can nudge into “meeting mode” – in other words, the more prospects you can get talking about their needs and how your services can help, the more business you will get.

It’s that simple.

So how do you nudge more prospects into meeting mode?

Over the years, I’ve developed many ways of accomplishing that. But the most effective and easiest-to-do technique is what I like to call the “Would it be helpful if…” technique.

Here’s how it works.

Say you’re a financial advisor specializing in succession planning for small businesses. You meet a new prospect at a local networking event. At some point in the conversation, she indicates a concern about transitioning her business to her children.

You say, “Would it be helpful if I quickly explained how our succession planning service works and the results you can expect?”

If she has any interest at all, she’ll probably say, “Yes, please do.” And when that happens – congratulations – you’re about to have a prospect meeting. (A short one, but it still counts!)

Here’s another scenario.

You’re a freelance e-newsletter writer following up with a prospect who has downloaded a free report from your website. During the call the prospect says, “We’ve thought about doing an e-newsletter, but we’re not sure if it will work for us.”

You say, “Would it be helpful if we scheduled a quick phone meeting to discuss that? I can share the pros and cons with you, and show you what’s working for firms similar to yours.”

Chances are, the prospect will say, “Yes, let’s do that.”

Why does this simple technique work so well? I suspect it works because it focuses on being helpful. It’s direct and honest. And it’s the logical next step in the conversation. After all, if a prospect indicates a need that your services can address, doesn’t it make sense to have a conversation about that?

So the next time you get an opportunity to do so, try the “Would it be helpful if…” technique. I bet you’ll get more prospect meetings if you do.

A couple of weeks ago, I got the umpteenth call from a sales rep who’s been hounding me since we chatted at a conference seven months ago. I’m actually interested in working with her firm. But her bi-weekly “just checking in” calls are, frankly, starting to annoy me.

I know what she’s trying to do. She’s trying to stay in touch with a prospect (me) who has indicated an interest in her services.

Hey, that’s exactly what I teach and help my clients to do!

But she’s going about it the wrong way. Instead of building the relationship, she’s becoming a pest. (She actually said to me once, “I’m sorry for being a pest, but…”)

The main problem with her approach is that she’s becoming someone I want to avoid rather than someone I want to do business with. And if you’re following-up with prospects, that’s exactly the impression you don’t want to make!

So how do you stay in touch with prospects so you don’t seem like a pest and, instead, become someone they actually look forward to hearing from?

Here are some ideas:

• Don’t sell; position. Clients want to work with professionals they know, like and trust. So your follow-up messages should consistently position you a likeable, knowledgeable expert – someone who is really, really good at what they do. When you position well, you don’t have to sell. (Hey, that’s a great rhyme. I’ll have to remember to copyright
  that!)
• Add value. When calling or emailing to follow-up with a prospect, think of a way to share a slice of your expertise. You could provide a tip, link to a helpful article, or share a client success story.
• Publish an e-newsletter. I know what you’re thinking. In this world of blogs and social media, e-newsletters are passé. That may be true. But they’re still a great way to stay in touch with prospects. Many of my clients today were once just subscribers to my e-newsletter.
• Use social media. Connect, follow, like, friend – whatever – with all your prospects. Pay attention to their social media updates. Respond, comment, re-tweet, get involved. For me, social media has revolutionized the way I stay in touch with prospects.
• Google alerts. I learned this trick from Jill Konrath, author of SNAP Selling. Set up Google alerts for all your prospects. That way, you’ll be alerted whenever there’s news about a prospect’s business… news you can use to tailor your follow-up messages.
• Make an invitation. When I was doing a lot of corporate work, I used to invite clients to free 20-minute “lunch and learn” sessions, which I conducted via teleconference. I’d get only three or four attendees per session, but they were often very good prospects, many of whom eventually became clients.

Those are a few ideas. I’m sure you could brainstorm many other ways to stay in touch with prospects without being a pest.

And that reminds me…

I got a follow-up email just last week from a PR consultant I was speaking with earlier this year. She asked me how my social media outreach was doing, and offered a practical tip – one I hadn’t thought of before – for getting better results. She didn’t push for a meeting or even a response. She simply touched base and added value.

Did she come across as a pest? Not at all.

Will I look forward to hearing from her again? Probably.

Will I think of her first when I need PR advice or help? Likely.

She’s making a completely different impression on me than the sales rep who has been calling me every other week.

Something to think about the next time you follow-up with a prospect.

When my daughter was six or so the game we enjoyed playing most together was Where’s Waldo. It involved finding the Waldo character amongst a crowd of other people, who were usually doing interesting things like juggling or lion taming.

If you ever played that game with your kid, you know how challenging it can be. I remember one time searching a page for nearly half an hour before becoming convinced – convinced! – that Waldo wasn’t there.

(My daughter found him about a minute later.)

Fun game, even when it’s frustrating.

But it reminds me of another game that business owners play that is rarely, if ever, enjoyable. And that is: Where’s The Prospect?

This came up a few times last month during my Practically Painless Prospecting workshop. It’s easy enough to find companies you want to do business with. But how do you find the names of the people in those companies you need to reach?

For example, say you’re a graphic designer and want to do business with XYZ Plastics. You probably want to reach the marketing communications manager. But who is that person? What is his correct job title, phone number, email address, and specific areas of responsibility?

Unlike Where’s Waldo, most business owners hate playing that game.

So how do you find prospect names and contact information? Well, there are many ways. A business directory that contains the names of your prospects may be available. You can join the same association your prospects belong to and get access to the membership directory. You can dig through the company’s website in the hopes you’ll find the right name.

One of my favorite techniques is to do a search on LinkedIn.com because most of my prospects have LinkedIn profiles.

But all of these methods can be frustratingly time-consuming. A coaching client once told me she spent three hours researching the internet to find exactly four prospects names. Ouch!

Is there a faster way?

There is. Just pick up the phone.

Calling the company is not only the quickest way to find out who the best person is to talk to about your services. In some cases, it may be the only way.

So how do you make that call and what do you say?

Rather than calling and speaking to the receptionist – or whoever has “phone duty” that day – I suggest you ask for the sales manager.

The sales manager is most likely to be on your side. After all, she has probably made hundreds, if not thousands, of similar calls during her career. She sympathizes! She knows what you’re trying to accomplish and, unlike the receptionist, is likely to be helpful.

When you reach the sales manager, say something like, “Hi, this is Jane Sangster of JS Design calling. Can you help me? I’m trying to reach your marketing manager but I’m not sure who that is.”

It’s that simple.

Will every sales manager you call give you the information you need? No, not everyone. But a good percentage will. In fact, calling the sales manager at a company you’re targeting is probably the quickest and surest way to get the prospect name you need.

Try it. Unless, of course, you really do like playing the game of Where’s The Prospect? for hours on end!

I had the opportunity to chat with a fellow marketing guy earlier this month. He was about to do a workshop for a local professional speakers group I belong to and I was helping him set up.

This marketing guy – Aidan Crawford – is one smart fellow. His target market is professional speakers. So doing the workshop obviously helped position him as an expert in front of an eager-to-learn audience. I wouldn’t be surprised if a couple of those in attendance became new clients for him that very day.

Like I said, smart guy.

Now Aidan could have simply done the workshop, reaped the benefits, and went home with a smile on his face – satisfied he made a connection with twenty or so people in the room.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he used the power of leverage to get even better results.

First, he arranged to have the workshop streamed live on the internet (which, by the way, is remarkably easy and inexpensive to do.) Then he asked if we could spread the word about it to members who couldn’t attend the live event. That would be a big benefit to them, so of course we said yes.

During the workshop, he put a flip camera on the podium to record his presentation. He knew the sound and picture quality wasn’t going to be perfect but, as he put it, “I’ll probably get a few good clips for my website and YouTube page.”

And if that weren’t enough, he also posted his slides on a slide sharing site to drive even more traffic to his doorstep.

I figured by doing those few simple things he tripled the size of his workshop audience – at least – and significantly boosted his marketing results in terms of more awareness of his services, more enquiries, and more leads.

Now that’s leverage.

And that’s something to think about the next time you attend a conference, place an ad, network on a LinkedIn forum, write a blog post, or launch an email prospecting campaign. Ask yourself, “How can I leverage this?”

For example, have you ever had a client say nice things about your services? If so, don’t just bask in the glory. (Okay, bask a little.) Ask if you can use the compliment as a testimonial, and also ask if she knows anyone else in her network who might benefit from your services. That way, you might get testimonial and a hot new lead.

Do you write a blog or e-newsletter? Bundle similar articles together into a special report which you can use as a free offer to generate more leads. You can also get your articles reprinted on websites and in publications your target audience reads.

Do you plan on attending a workshop in the hopes of networking with potential clients? Volunteer to introduce or thank the speaker. That way, the entire audience will know who you are and what you do, rather than just a few prospects you happen to meet.

See what I mean? Always be looking for ways to get more oomph out of every marketing opportunity.

I admit. I’m not nearly as good at leverage as I should be. But from now on, I’m committed to squeezing more juice out of every marketing effort. Consider doing the same.

Over the past week or so, I’ve had more than a few people tell me that, although prospecting can get good results, it can also be uncomfortable, embarrassing, and undignified to say the least.

As one Marketing Memo reader put it, “Let’s face it. Prospecting basically sucks. But if you have to do it, you have to do it. Right?”

Well, if you have that attitude, prospecting will suck. And no matter how much you may need to reach out to new prospects, you probably won’t make very many of those calls or send those emails.

But if you change your thinking around a bit, and look at prospecting in a different way, you’ll find that it really can be simple and easy.

First, you need to revise your definition of what prospecting is really all about.

It’s not about calling or emailing strangers and pitching your services. Try doing that for more than a few days and you’ll either grow skin as thick as a walrus’, or you’ll never prospect again!

Prospecting is simply the process of introducing yourself to people who have a likelihood of being interested in your services.

Think about it. If they have a likelihood of being interested in what you do – either now or sometime in the future – wouldn’t they want to hear from you? There’s at least a reasonable chance that they would.

That’s why being picky about who you call or email is so important. You want to focus on what I call high-probability prospects – those who are most likely to be receptive to hearing from you.

Second, you need to use techniques that make prospecting easy and painless for you to do, and yet get really good results.

Over the years, I’ve developed a repertoire of techniques that I use for connecting with new prospects by phone or email… and doing so in a way that’s easy, dignified, and even fun. (And I’m an introvert!)

(By the way, I’ve shared some of those techniques in my last two newsletters.)

Finally, you need to focus on making/sending quality calls and emails, not quantity.

In fact, I recommend that you schedule only a few prospecting calls or emails per day – maybe just five or six – but make them good ones. Think about each prospect you want to reach. Review their website. Think about how to make your call or email relevant and important to them. (What sales guru and author Jill Konrath calls, “a message that can’t be ignored.”)

Hey, listen. I’m not trying to “sell” you on prospecting. If you’re getting your business through inbound leads, referrals, word-of-mouth and other means, then you don’t need to prospect.

But if you need to drum up some new business quickly, break into a new market niche where you’re not well known, or launch a new professional service business of some kind, then don’t let the discomfort and fear of prospecting stop you from making some calls or sending some emails.

Prospecting can be a simple and easy process, if you go about it the right way. And it’s amazing how enjoyable that process can be when you’re seeing results and landing new clients!

Since starting this series on prospecting, I’ve received a lot of questions from readers, and also some great tips.

Thank you!

As I said in my last Marketing Memo, prospecting is simply the process of introducing yourself to people who have a likelihood – and that’s key – of being interested in your services. There are many ways you can do that. You can make a call, send an email, use social media, get introduced somehow, meet at a networking event, etc.

One email I received yesterday asked, “I’m using email as my main prospecting method. How many emails should I send each week?”

I understand why she asked that. But her question concerned me a little. It implied that, when you get right down to it, prospecting is really just a numbers game. If you make enough calls, send enough emails, or reel off your elevator speech to enough people at a conference – you’ll eventually land some clients.

But that’s not what prospecting is really about.

So what is prospecting really about?

Well, the best way to answer that is to tell you a story – a short fable, actually – that I often use in my articles and workshops. It goes like this…

A plumber knocks on your door one evening asking if you need any plumbing work done. It’s obvious that he’s canvassing the neighborhood trying to drum up some business. You politely say, “Sorry, I don’t need a plumber.” So he hands you his flyer and goes on his way.

A flyer you barely look at and eventually toss into the kitchen recycling bin.

A few weeks later, another plumber knocks at your door. But he takes a completely different approach. Instead of pitching his services within five seconds of saying hello, he instead offers you a free booklet: “5 Ways to Lower Your Hot Water Heating Bill… Without Turning Down The Heat!” You say, “Yes, thank you!” and take the booklet. You can hardly wait to read it.

Then, a couple of weeks later, you receive a thank you card from that plumber, with a note offering to answer any questions you might have about the booklet and hot water heating. Wasn’t that nice of him?

Then, a couple of weeks after that, you receive a friendly letter from that plumber, with a 20% discount coupon for “Emergency After Hours Service”, should you ever need it. Also included is a fridge magnet with his 24-hour emergency number. That magnet goes on your fridge door, right next to the Thank You card!

See what’s happening in that story? That plumber is positioning himself as a helpful, friendly expert. Someone you’re getting to know. Someone you’re getting to like. Someone you’re probably going to call when you have a need.

That’s prospecting.

And it’s not about numbers. It’s about relationships. You’re initiating and building relationships with people today, who may be able to do business with you someday. That “someday” may be this week, next month, or later in the year. It doesn’t matter. The more relationships you build with prospects, the more clients you’ll attract. It’s that simple.

So when prospecting, don’t count calls or emails. Instead, ask yourself, “How many relationships with potential clients have I initiated this week?”

That’s the real measure of prospecting success.

Let’s face it. No one likes to cold call, warm call, or do any type of prospecting. Even if you don’t use the phone and, instead, reach out to new potential clients via email, the process can be intimidating.

But sometimes you just have to do it. Especially when you need to land some new clients fairly quickly.

The good news is, there are ways to make prospecting calls – or send prospecting emails – that are easy-to-do and get very good results.

Here are just a few of those ways:

1. Rethink your definition of “prospecting”.

Prospecting is not about trying to sell your services to strangers. It’s about introducing yourself to people who have a likelihood of being interested in your services.

So when you’re prospecting – by making calls, sending emails, or connecting via social media – your focus is on building relationships with those who may want to do business with you, now or in the future.

And when you think of prospecting in that way, it becomes much easier. (And, as it turns out, a lot more effective.)

2. Focus on high-probability prospects.

Don’t call or email every name you can find in your target market. That’s exhausting and only increases your chances of rejection.

Be selective. Ask yourself…

Who in your target market is most likely to be receptive to hearing from you and learning more about your services? Or, to put it another way, who do you suspect has the highest need for the services you provide?

I call these “high-probability prospects”. And if you focus on those people, you’ll be prospecting less, but getting much better results.

3. Use your REAL voice.

I received an email from an investment advisor last week introducing her services to me. Unfortunately, her message read like a page from a sales brochure. (It might actually have been cut and pasted from a brochure!)

I couldn’t help thinking: would she send an email like that to someone she knew, like a friend or client?

Probably not. She would probably just be herself and use her own voice.

And that’s what you should do, too, when calling or emailing. Just be yourself!

Now, there’s nothing wrong with creating a script or template to use as a guide when prospecting. Just make sure it reflects the way you normally talk.

4. Tailor your message.

The more customized your message is, the more likely the prospect will be interested in hearing (or reading) it.

To do that, you’ll need to take a few minutes to get to know the prospect better before you call or email. Check out the prospect’s website. Review recent press releases about the company.

Often, when you do a little digging, you’ll discover a good reason to call or email. Maybe the prospect is launching a new product soon? Or attending an important trade show? Any of those facts can make your prospecting message much more personalized, relevant, and effective.

5. Get introduced.

There’s no doubt about it. If you can say something like, “Your colleague, Dave Smith, suggested I give you a call…”, your chances of success go up ten-fold.

So explore ways you can get introduced to prospects by people you already know. LinkedIn.com provides tools that help you do that. You can also just ask your close colleagues and clients if they know people in their networks who would be interested in learning about your services.

There you have it. Five ways to make prospecting easier and more effective. Remember, it’s all about building relationships. And if you just focus on that, you’ll find that prospecting isn’t such a pain after all. You might even come to love it. Or, at least, like it!

I’m guessing this is the umpteenth article you’ve seen this week on setting goals. After all, it’s the start of the new year. Just about everyone has something important they want to achieve in 2012. And we’re all hungry for tips on how to achieve it.

So what are your business goals this year? Is it to break into a new niche market? Land five better and higher-paying clients? Transform your website into a client-attracting machine?

I’m no expert on achieving goals. (I leave that to the Tony Robbins’ of the world.) But I have accomplished some big things over the years. And, yes, I’ve also failed – sometimes spectacularly – to achieve other goals I’ve set for my business.

So I guess you can say I have lots of experience with both success and failure!

What have I learnt?

Over the holidays I was thinking about just that. I was planning what I wanted to accomplish in 2012 and I found myself reviewing the big business goals I’ve set over the past few years.

For most of these goals, I did the usual things that the “gurus” recommend. I made sure each goal was ambitious yet realistic. I made sure I had a plan. And I got into “action mode” right way.

So why did I reach some goals but not others?

By the way, it’s not like I gave each goal everything I got and simply fell short of the finish line. I don’t consider that a failure.

But there were some goals where I simply petered out after the initial burst of motivation wore off. (Sound familiar? That’s why fitness clubs are packed in January and empty in March!)

When I took a closer look I noticed that almost all the big goals that I did achieve in the past few years had one thing in common.

Support.

Support in the form of a structured program or course. Support in the form of a friend or business coach who would offer advice and hold me accountable. Support in the form of a group on the same journey. And so forth.

I also noticed that, for the goals where I came to a sputtering stop without really accomplishing anything, I didn’t have any real support. I tried to go it alone. Big mistake.

Support gives you the “stick to it” motivation you need to get through the inevitable frustrations and fatigue you’re bound to face when going for a goal.

I don’t know if it’s really the “missing ingredient”. But I suspect it is.

One thing is for sure – I’m taking advantage of all the support I can get this year. Along with all the inherent advice, encouragement and accountability that goes with it.

You might want to consider doing the same for your 2012 goals, too.

A friend called me this morning and asked, “So, what are your plans for the holidays?”

“The holidays?” I replied. Then I casually glanced at the calendar. Uh oh. The holidays are next week. How did I miss that coming so fast?

For most people, planning for the holidays concerns family, gifts and travel.

But for us business owners, it may also involve landing a new client (or two) before the new year begins.

So let’s take a look at some proven strategies for landing clients quickly… strategies that can work within just a few days.

1. Active prospects.

Active prospects include anyone you have quoted, submitted a proposal to, or had a good meeting with – plus anyone else who has expressed a serious interest in your services – within the past six months.

These prospects are your best source of new business. So if you haven’t followed-up with them recently, do so now.

Keep in mind that some prospects may have budgets that need to be spent before the year ends. So now is the ideal time to remind them of an outstanding quotation or proposal, or let them know that they can book you now for work in the new year.

2. Lost opportunities.

Think back over the past couple of years. How many leads and referrals did you get that went nowhere? How many projects did you quote on that ultimately went to someone else? How many clients were you “this close” to landing, but didn’t?

Believe it or not, those lost opportunities are a great source of new business. After all, these are people who, at least initially, were interested in your services. So give them a call and say hello.

Whatever the reason you lost the opportunity back then, things change. And these prospects could now be in a position to do business with you.

3. Raid your email inbox.

I hope you don’t delete your emails. Because they contain a goldmine of potential new clients – in the form of old enquiries, previous prospects, and other people who have contacted you with an interest in your services.

I suggest you go back two years. Identify everyone who has emailed you that could potentially become a new client. Then reply back to those original emails – don’t send a new email – apologizing for not staying in touch and giving each an update on your services.

I bet if you do, you’ll get a couple of friendly replies. And perhaps even a new client.

4. Spread the word.

Let everyone in your network know – via social media, your e-newsletter or blog, your contact database – that you have room in your schedule to take on a new client.

One of my coaching clients did just that a few months ago. She sent an email to her contacts explaining that she had room in her fall schedule for two new clients. She got seven replies that same day, resulting in two referrals and one new client.

5. Reactivate old clients.

Reach out to clients you haven’t done business with for a while, even if it’s been a few years. I suggest you phone rather than email. Keep it friendly. Ask about their business, and give them an update on yours.

Of the five, this is probably the most effective strategy of them all. It’s amazing how many times I’ve touched base with an old client and ended up with new work.

So there you have it. Five quick ways to land a new client, even during the holiday season. Put these ideas into action and you might just be giving yourself a great holiday gift: new business for the new year.