Making Valuable Contacts Online
Copyright (c) 2003 by Angela Booth
Remember the old saying: "it's not what you know,
it's who you know"? It's true.
Your contacts determine whether your business succeeds
or fails, and for reasons of credibility, that's doubly true online.
Many people bristle when someone suggests that they
network. If the term networking puts you off, then think of it as
making friends. People do business with people they know, and your
prospective clients need to hear your name many times before they
buy from you.
Networking should be a cornerstone of your business.
As my marketer friend Sally says: "Networking makes all your
business activities more effective."
Sally loves using the Internet to develop new contacts.
She believes that you can establish business relationships more easily
online than you can offline. "I'd rather have someone email me
a proposal, than phone me.
And if I'm the one creating the proposal, I'll do
a Web search on their business before I email them. The more you know
about them the more effective your initial contact will be.
I'm flattered if I know that someone has taken the
time to find out about our business before they contact me for the
first time."
=> Making new contacts step by step
With several hundred million people online, no matter
how tiny your niche market, you'll find it easy to make contacts online.
Some of these contacts will be people who are in the same business
you're in, others will be suppliers, or prospective clients.
Note: some people hesitate to make contact with competitors.
When I suggested to a copywriting student of mine that she should
contact local copywriters to see they were charging, she freaked out.
She didn't want to have anything to do with her competition.
This is a short-sighted attitude, because:
* whatever your business, it's a small world. People
know people, and people talk. If people know you because they've had
some contact with you, then when they're asked about you, they're
more apt to speak kindly of you;
* you'll learn what's happening in your industry:
who's hiring, who's landed a big new contract, and who's slow-paying;
* you've got someone to whom you can refer clients,
if the clients want something that you can't provide (and with luck,
your contacts will refer people to you);
* it's educational: you can swap techniques, suppliers,
and shortcuts;
* and most importantly, you can find out what other
local businesses are charging, and why.
So how do you start making valuable contacts online?
==> Step One: Do a search for people in the same business you're
in
You'll need to know who's doing what you're doing.
Check out their Web sites, bookmark their URL, and enter the names
and contact details into your contact management program.
(Go to Better Whois, at http://www.betterwhois.com/
to get the business owner's contact details.)
See whether they offer services or products which
are complementary to yours. You might be able to form a loose partnership.
If it's appropriate, you could offer them a link on
your Web site in return for a link on theirs. However, be careful
with this. Don't go linking here, there and everywhere online for
the heck of it. Ubiquitous linking makes it look as if you don't know
what you're doing.
==> Step Two: In what fields do you want to expand your client
base?
When looking for prospective clients, think in terms
of industries or professions.
If many of your clients are doctors, perhaps you want
to contact more doctors, or perhaps you want to contact dentists or
lawyers.
If you're a writer, maybe you've been targeting health
and fitness magazines. What other interests and knowledge do you have?
Perhaps you once worked for a construction company.
Trade magazines pay quite well, so investigate construction
magazines. Enter the magazines into your database, and send the editors
a letter or e-mail message introducing yourself.
==> Step Three: Budget time for networking
Networking won't pay off with instantly, and too much
networking can eat up a lot of time. So make a networking schedule
for yourself.
If you're working in your small business fulltime,
budget half an hour or so every couple of days for networking, or
put in an hour a week. If you're a part-timer, try to put in a couple
of hours a month.
==> Step Four: Don't be put off by a lack of response
If you send an e-mail message, and don't get a response,
don't take it badly. Like most other people, I've got a rapid-fire
delete finger, and I'm sure that occasionally I delete a valuable
message by mistake. Blame it on the spam circus that e-mail has become.
Don't badger people, but if you're not getting a response
via email, send them a fax or a letter.
Start making online contacts today, and watch your
business thrive!
Veteran multi-published author and copywriter Angela
Booth crafts words for your business --- words to sell, educate or
persuade. E-books and e-courses for writers on Web site. FREE ezines
for writers and small biz: http://www.digital-e.biz
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