Tuesday = Prospecting

You know those prospects you identified on Monday when you were doing your weekly research?

Well, it’s time to reach out to them and introduce yourself and your services. There’s no “right” way to do this but here are a couple options to experiment with:

• Email your prospect first, then call to follow up the next day.
• Call your prospect first, then follow up with an email message the same day or the next day.
• Send your prospect a personal letter, then call to follow up a week later.
• Send your prospect a package, follow up with an email a week later, then call the next day.

Some Marketing Mentor clients have had success with prospecting through LinkedIn too. Designer, Robin Doty, took advantage of Linkedin’s free offer to try a week of their “premium” service to send 20 introductory “inMail” messages. Her message said: “Hi Susan, I recently moved to Iowa from South Dakota and am looking for some new business connections. I am a freelance graphic designer. Do you ever need quick turnaround, professional graphic design for your projects? If you'd like to connect, let me know.”

Her results were excellent:
1 meeting with a prospect asking for a quote (she got that job!)
1 meeting scheduled
1 continuing correspondence
1 message forwarded to a friend
1 said she could contact him again in the future
2 people THANKING her for contacting them, but have nothing right now

That’s 35% positive response!

It’s a new year and could be a new start. Go ahead, do a little prospecting today…and be sure to join the free marketing pep talk/webinar Thursday, Jan 10th at 2 PM (you’ll get the recording even if you can’t make it). Sign up here: http://bit.ly/R5zEeP

Comments

[Robin]

Thanks for mention Ilise! Quick update since I wrote you about this:
•The meeting scheduled went great, it was a marketing company who is looking into expanding their outsourced work and she assured me she be calling soon with work.
• The man who said I should contact him in the future received a Linkedin message from a friend looking for a graphic designer. He forwarded her my name. I met with her and I'm working on my SECOND project from her today.

Ilise, your blog and messages have encouraged me to not be afraid of sending messages and calling new people! Thanks much...Robin

[Ilise Benun]

That is great to hear, Robin, and please do keep me (and us) posted so others can be encouraged by your success.