By Laura Tiffany, www.entrepreneur.com
1. Create quality marketing tools.
Make a list of everything you need to contact a client, including stationery and brochures. Create the materials, or hire an art or marketing student to assist you with design.
2. Greet clients with style.
Get a professional voice-mail system (the phone company offers options) with several boxes, so callers can press “1” to hear more about services, “2” for web and e-mail addresses, etc.
3. Narrow your focus.
Instead of trying to reach all the people some of the time, narrow your target audience to highly qualified prospects. Go to less networking sessions with the best prospects every week.
4. Make the most of trade shows.
Find someone to share booth space with you. Or get no booth and do business with the exhibitors--just respect their time with “real” customers and follow up on your leads!
5. Conduct competitive intelligence online.
Find out what your competition is doing. Today, this information is at your fingertips, so find your competitors’ sites and click away!
6. Offer your help.
Generate positive word-of-mouth by good work and good deeds. Be the first to help and offer ideas freely. Offer expertise to your Business Center or Downtown Revitalization Committee.
7. Offer work samples.
Offer a small job for free to show potential clients your quality of work and get them used to working with you.
8. Network.
Join your local chamber, your industry association, or Rotary Club. Ask the people you meet what leads they're looking for--and listen. They'll repay you in kind.
9. Cross-promote with other businesses.
Learn who you share customers with and promote one another. Note The Wedding Mafia, a group of wedding professionals (caterer, DJ, dressmaker, photographer) who work together through referrals.
10. Chat online.
Find newsgroups that cater to your audience, and join the fray. It may turn out to be the single best marketing tool you use and it costs only time.
11. Offer an e-newsletter.
To establish you as an expert, and provide e-mail addresses of potential clients. 12. Don't wait for customers to find you online. Spend time looking for businesses that have a connection to yours. Tell them why you think they should build a business relationship with you.
13. Go where your best prospects are.
A pet-sitter asks the local vet to display brochures. A landscape artist offers a display for the local nursery. To reach children and parents, buy a slide at the movie theater.
14. Become an expert.
Write on-line articles to demonstrate your business sense and your product or service. Answer questions in online forums; get yourself listed in a directory like Experts.com.
15. Host a seminar.
It's cheap, easy and a good way to get over your public-speaking fear. A business broker conducts free weekly seminars. Even those who don’t attend notice his ad and call for his services.
16. Get local news coverage.
Play up your locale as much as possible with personalized news releases. Even if you used to live someplace, write them a letter.
17. Get ready for your close-up.
Get a cable access show. You can't blatantly advertise a product or service, but it's a good way to become better-known. Hold a give away or contest and start a mailing list.
18. Gracias, merci, thank you.
Shower the top 20 percent of your clients who yield the most sales with thank-yous, whether it's gifts, personalized notes or lunch. Let your best customers know they're special.
19. Offer a guarantee.
More people will be willing to try out your business and recommend your business if you offer “satisfaction guaranteed.” End of story.
20. Give them something to talk about.
Word-of-mouth marketing is the cheapest thing you can do to boost business. Attract referrals by doing a great job: Impress your clients and they'll tell everyone they know. Hand out several business cards rather than just one so they're more likely to pass them on.
21. When in doubt, pick up the phone.
Don’t lament your lack of business and form new worry lines on your face, call a customer! Touch base to see how they're doing, or visit them. It'll improve your relationship and jar their memory. You won’t hear “I've been meaning to call you!” if you don't pick up the phone.