Create Visibility For Yourself
by Leni Chauvin, The Client Attraction Coach (tm)
Everyone in business has one thing in common. It
doesn't matter whether you're a salesman, a coach, a dentist, an artist,
a lawyer, running a nonprofit organization or a work-at-home-mom What
we all need is to have people know about us. We can be the very best
in all the world at what we do, but if we haven't got any customers,
clients, or patients what good will it do us?
If you're just starting out or want to take your business
to the next level, you're probably a lot like many others in the same
boat. You've got a limited budget for promoting your endeavor and
there are so many things you could easily spend it on. It's like being
a kid in a candy store all over again. So many choices, each as enticing
as the next. All the selections seem to be calling out, "Pick
me." "Pick me." "Pick me."
I'm talking about logos, Web sites, graphic designers,
brochures,1-800 numbers, business cards, advertisements, Yellow Pages
listings, and memberships galore. They all cost money and they're
all shouting, "Pick me."
What if you can't pick one, though? What if you need
to bring in more business before you can spend money on bringing in
more business?
The solution is very simple and it boils down to just
one thing: networking. That is by far the least expensive and most
effective method of marketing known to wo/man.
If you're serious about becoming the success you know
you were meant to be, I urge you to do two things now: 1) STEP AWAY
FROM THE COMPUTER and 2) create visibility for yourself because that's
where it all begins.
Okay, maybe you can wait to finish reading Networking
Gazette before you step away from the computer, but creating visibility
for yourself is key if you want to grow your business, and the sooner
you start getting noticed, the better.
That means leaving the safety of the confines of your
cubicle, office, or spare bedroom and getting out to see and be seen
over and over again. After all, when people are in the market for
your product or service who do you think they'll think of to help
them: someone they met once at a party 18 months ago or someone they
see and speak to repeatedly?
One way to get yourself noticed is to set a routine
and stick with it. For example if you think the gym might be a good
place to meet prospective clients, go regularly at the same times
and days. You'll get to talk to far more people--and form relationships
with them--than you would if you went on a drop-in basis, and it's
relationships, after all, that are the crux of networking.
Check out the supermarket. It's an often overlooked,
but excellent place to create one-on-one visibility. If you go at
roughly the same time and stand in line for the same checker each
time you go, you will find that you start chatting to the checker
and before you know it, he/she will remember you and start calling
you by name.
Over time, his or her memory will increase from the
realm of "paper or plastic," to what you do for a living,
the name of your company, etc. Supermarket checkers come in contact
with an awful lot of people and they share a lot of information with
their customers, too.
Wouldn't it be nice if this person, who has access
to probably several hundred people a day, knew you, what you do, and
even better yet, had a ready supply of your business cards in his/her
pocket? It can happen and it all begins with starting a routine and
forming a relationship.
Join and become active in your professional association,
a service club, your Chamber of Commerce, Attend networking meetings.
Go for a walk in your neighborhood. Coach a Little League team.
Become a member of a professional leads exchange group
like my own BRE Business Referral Exchange. Lead a Brownie troop.
Join a book club. Take up a new sport. Start a new hobby. Pick up
the phone just to say "hello." Go to seminars where your
customers go. Invite your customers or prospects to attend a workshop
with you.
BOTTOM LINE: It doesn't matter what you decided to
do to get yourself noticed. Just do it, and do it consistently. You'll
find it's a low cost way to build your business; you'll learn a lot
from others and have fun at the same time.
(c) Copyright 2003, Leni Chauvin
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Leni Chauvin has been helping
ordinary people build and market extraordinary businesses since 1993.
The strategies in her Attract Clients Galore Marketing System(tm)
have helped thousands of solo professionals get more (and better)
clients without having to spend a fortune to do it. Subscribe to Leni's
newsletter for tips to help YOU grow YOUR business. http://www.SuperstarNetworking.com
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