Getting Your Prospective Client's Attention

What's your favorite way to get a prospective client's attention? I have a few favorites and have had many of these tried out on me. In no particular order, here are some of the best (and worst) I've come across:

- mass offline advertising (magazines, direct mail, radio, etc.)
- pure face to face/phone networking
- cold calling
- social networking (LinkedIn, Plaxo, etc.)
- pro bono speaking engagements/conference participation
- simply attending conferences to network
- online advertising (banners, Google ads, etc.)
- establishing subject matter expert status by writing articles, blogs, newsletters, etc.

Please share your comments with ideas, experiences (good and bad), and suggestions. Once again, the community is only as good as your contributions... I can't do this all alone...

- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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Outlook: The Poor Man's CRM

Have you ever had that uncomfortable conversation with a prospective client that went like this:
"Hi Mrs. Prospect. This is Mike calling to see if you've got some time to catch up and discuss our services."

"Thanks for the fourth follow up. As I mentioned Monday, I need some time to look at the budget. I didn't reply to your voicemails and emails on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday because I'm getting ready for budget reviews next month. Why don't you give me a little time and I'll be in touch."

Oops. Multiple calls and emails in the same week.

Having been on the "buy side" of services before, I can tell you such pestering is infuriating and dramatically decreases the chances I'll purchase services from that individual.

Now you, being entrepreneurial and driven at heart, probably get antsy waiting for return calls from prospects and may have even found yourself in the above conversation (I have).

So what's the solution outside of spending a ton of cash on a CRM solution? Outlook. Simply place a "tickler" appointment on your calendar several weeks (or even months) out as appropriate and then forget the prospect exists. Let Outlook tell you when you need to follow up.

It's easy and cheap. It will also prevent you from becoming that annoying overeager salesperson who calls all the time and never gets the sale because of it. It also demonstrates to your prospects that you're respectful of their time and that you LISTEN to what they're saying. Both of those traits should enhance your chances of landing the deal.

Anyone have any other pipeline management suggestions and tips? Let's hear them!

- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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Complement Someone

No, I didn't spell that incorrectly (if you read my "I never want to be sic[k]" post on the thoughtLEADERS blog, you'll understand my maniacal focus on spelling accuracy). Complement someone. You're a service professional. You have a business built on leveraging your particular core competencies. Those skills likely provide you a wonderfully profitable niche. The difficult part comes when you are given the opportunity to work outside that niche.

Ahhhh... what a dilemma.

More work, more revenue but on a topic that's not completely in your wheelhouse. You can either expand your offerings, stretch yourself a little, and keep all the spoils for yourself (while at the same time assuming the risk of delivering a less-than-stellar service since it's a new area for you) or you can let someone complement you. In other words, admit you're not the best person to provide the new service to your client but you know exactly who that right person is. Call someone in your network. Send the work their way. Let them do an outstanding job in their niche. Let them reap the rewards of the service provision. Your client will thank you (they get better service and know you have their interests at heart). Your colleague will thank you. And ultimately, your colleague will create opportunities for you to complement them. It's a great way to grow your business, stay focused on what you do best and ensure the best services are provided by the best providers. Everyone wins. Give it a try.

- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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