These marketing methods may be cheaper, but you need an eye on return on investment too.  It costs very little to send an email newsletter, but the vast majority of your customers receive probably 4-5 email newsletters a day – and they probably don’t read them all.  When you have something really important to communicate to your customers, chances are they’ve already ‘switched off’ if you aren’t keeping the content relevant to them.

With new media, it’s very easy to send messages without thinking strategically, or without considering the impact on your customer.  But, without some half-decent advice, you could lose contacts quicker than you gained them…and your reputation is shot.  Case in point…

• I received a text message on Monday night at 7 minutes past 9pm
• It’s a message I hadn’t requested, from someone I haven’t seen for approx. a year
• It was from somone I met at a networking event, but I’ve never done business with
• It read…

Please visit

my website.co.uk

Dave’s best buys

(The names have been changed to protect the ignorant)

This was a prospecting email for a financial product from someone I don’t have a relationship with.  It at least includes a call to action, but it’s mixed marketing methods – why send a text and ask me to visit a website, instead of texting back?  I’ve also never bought financial products online – I want a relationship with the person I’m dealing with when it’s something so important, and I suspect I’m not alone.

Please, please, please think carefully before you press ‘Send’.  Your reputation is too precious to throw it away on what seems a very ‘cheap’ marketing method.

So, if you were stuck in a lift with Richard Branson and had seven seconds to tell him what you do, what would you say?

This is “your one moment to impress or depress, depending on what you say and how you deliver.”   Rob Brown, How to Build Your Reputation.

Our top tips for a great elevator pitch are:

1. Tell people about you – not your job description (are you an accountant, or do you save people tax? Which introduction do you think has people wanting to know more?)
2. Make great eye contact when you’re speaking
3. Smile
4. Deliver your elevator pitch with passion and enthusiasm
5. Prepare – know what you are going to say
6. Have 7-second, 5-minute and 10-minute pitches prepared
7. Don’t forget to ask the other person about them (listen to their answer, so you can ask another intelligent question)
   
8. Be specific about who you are, what you do and what makes you different
9. Create a picture and tell a story if you can – give people your message in technicolour and put them in the picture
10. Be careful of invading people’s personal space

Someone probably asks you every day what you do for a living, but do you take full advantage?  Having elevator pitches prepared will mean you never have to miss that golden marketing opportunity.

Definitely Do:

• Find something to compliment
• Listen to what the person is saying and ask questions
• Nod while listening and smile
• Find out the person’s status early in the conversation (In networking, this might be their job title or company)
• If it seems the person is interested, introduce the idea of a future meeting

It sounds like common sense to me, but how many of us honestly stick to these rules?

Definitely Don’t:

1. Under no circumstances touch the person
2. Do not invade their personal space
3. Do not lie
4. Watch your language
5. Don’t advertise something that you have no intention of delivering

You’d think just from the bullet points that I’d been reading the top ten networking rules, as they apply just as well.  And, just as some people break the rules in flirting, some break the rules in networking – to their detriment.  You’re only as good as your reputation, and once you’ve lost it you’re in trouble.

They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression – sticking to these simple rules will make sure you don’t fall at the first hurdle.

Trust is a vital component in any sale; particularly a long-term purchase or with intangible purchases (like a service you can’t touch or hold in your hand).  But many business owners overlook its importance, or fail to take the time for customers to build trust and get to know the sales person.

They say it takes on average seven points of contact before someone will buy from you – and credibility is the reason why.  If people don’t trust you first, they’re unlikely to part with any money.

So, how can you build trust or credibility? Our top five tips are as follows…

1. Have a clear brand, through signage, business cards, telephone numbers etc.  People are happier with landline numbers that are local, rather than PO box numbers and mobiles.  And they like to know who they’re dealing with, so keep things simple and clear.
2. Ease of contact – is your telephone number easy to find on your literature and website?  Do you encourage people to call you and make it easy for them to do so?
3. Stick to your promises – if you say you’ll call back, call back.  As and when you promised.
4. Provide testimonials – let your customers see what other people say about you.  That’s far more convincing than any sales pitch.
5. Give something away for free – with services, it’s great if you can offer a tip or a piece of advice for free, especially if it proves you are great at your job.  If it’s products, offer a guarantee – put your money where your mouth is if your products are fantastic, instead of asking the customer to take all the risk.  You’ll be surprised how powerful it is.

When you take the time to build trust with your customers, they’ll reward you by referring you to other people and put their reputation on the line based on their relationship with you.

And, then you’re on your way to the third and final step…Profitability (see Monday’s blog for more…)