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How to Get Business the Easy Way
A client of mine called and
told me that she wanted to devise a plan to
get new business. She was getting
nervous because she had just worked really
hard for the past several months on a whole
bunch of jobs and was now looking ahead to a
very empty calendar.
"I need new business," she
told me. "Is cold calling the way to
go or should I just start sending postcards
to everyone I can get an address for in the
neighborhoods I want to work in?"
Cold calling and cold
mailings (calls or mailings to people who
don't already know you) generally only
result in about a 1% response rate and an
even smaller closing rate. So, if you
mailed out 100 postcards, you should only
expect one person - JUST ONE - to actually
call you for more information. That
doesn't mean the person is going to hire
you, just that they will contact you from
your mailing. So, cold marketing isn't
usually the way to go if you are looking
increase your business.
Cold marketing is a tough
way to build a business, but can serve a
good purpose as an on-going marketing
approach. However, if you are
looking for a way to bring in faster
results, with less effort, less money spent,
with bigger projects, than cold marketing
isn't the first thing you should do.
Try a warm marketing
approach and market to your previous clients
and people who already know you. It's
a much easier sale as you don't have to
build credibility with past clients as they
have already worked with you. The sale
will be a shorter process and an easier one.
Here are some quick ideas on
how you can easily put the warm marketing
approach to work:
Email past clients a
newsletter or message to check in with them
-
Mail postcards to past
clients on the anniversary of when you
worked with them last time.
-
In one envelope, send
5-10 blank postcards with a picture of
the project you did for them that they
can send them to their friends and
family. (This works especially
well for photographers, wedding
consultants, and decorative painters.)
Check out
www.USPS.com on quick, easy, and
cheap ways to do this.
-
Call past clients to
check in with them and see how they are
doing. I bet you hear one or two
people say, "I'm glad you called because
I've been meaning to call you about a
project...."
-
Mail a printed tip sheet
on something that has to do with your
services like: "Top 11 ways to have a
cost effective wedding" or "How to take
the best photo of kids" or "13 Ways to
spruce up your home for the holidays".
You're a creative thinker;
throw together some ideas of your own and
contact your former customers. They
are the best source for new business and
referrals so look to them first before any
cold marketing opportunity.
This is the approach we took
with the client from above. She made a
few phone calls to past clients whom she
remembered mentioning that they may have
future work. On the SECOND CALL she
booked a $5000 project. Pretty
cool, huh?
Focus on the work which is
just waiting for you to come get it.
Contact your past clients and keep
contacting them in some way four - 12 times
a year. You'll be glad you did!
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