Networking fails when people try to accelerate the new relationship at a speed that makes the other person uncomfortable. There’s no magic formula for how fast to move. Instead, you need to move at a speed the other person is comfortable with. When you meet someone, don’t make the mistake of trying to immediately sell to [...]
Networking, like any form of marketing, works best when you take a long-term approach. With that in mind, organise one lunch per week with somebody you don’t know, and enter these lunches without any expectations. Don’t try to turn these people into clients. Don’t ask them for a job. Don’t press them for favours. Just focus [...]
Networking, or face-to-face marketing, can be a really effective form of marketing. But only if you do it correctly – and most people don’t. Most people make the mistake of meeting somebody and quickly pressing for a sale, either explicitly (by asking for it) or implicitly (by demonstratively handing over their business card). Would you buy [...]
Relationships are a form of marketing. The more relationships you have, and the deeper those relationships are, the more often people in your community will send business your way. That’s why investing time and money in relationships is so important. Investing in relationships means investing in marketing. And investing in marketing means investing in your future [...]
I regularly send emails and texts to clients – not about work, but just to keep up with them, because many of them have become friends. And sometimes these client-friends will respond to my messages by asking if my content marketing agency, Hunter & Scribe, can do a job for them. Why? I’ve always assumed it’s [...]
There’s a really clever strategy you can use to build referral relationships through blogging. Here’s the quick five-step summary: Identify a dream referral partner Think of a blog topic relevant to their business Ask the referral partner to provide quotes Write the blog and send it to them for approval Publish the blog and share the [...]
Networking can be a really effective form of marketing – provided you go about it the right way. The wrong way is to meet someone and then SELL, SELL, SELL! It’s tacky and can make the other person feel cheap. So don’t try to flog your product or service when you meet someone at an event. [...]
Networking, or ‘face-to-face marketing’, is one of the most powerful forms of marketing ever invented. When you’re face to face with someone, it helps you build trust, and trust is one of the main reasons we do marketing, because trust leads to sales. So where is the best place to network? Well, the best place to [...]
Sending gifts to your clients is not only considerate, it can also be a clever marketing tactic. That said, there are good gifts and there are bad gifts. What are bad gifts? Bad gifts are generic items like chocolates or flowers that will get discarded fairly quickly. Good gifts are things that are personalised and that [...]
Every small business should be using digital methods to maintain contact with customers and referral partners. So give them love on social media by commenting on their posts. Invite them to give expert commentary on a blog you’re writing. Send them text messages from time to time. Email them articles you know they'll find interesting. These [...]
