1. Compile A List Of All Chambers Of Commerce In Your Area.
A majority of chambers across the United States have a searchable online member directory. Where are these online directories located on these chamber sites? Many of these directories will be listed under the "Membership" or "About Us" button. Or, you might see a button that says, "Membership Directory" or "Business Directory."
How do you locate chambers of commerce in your area? One way is to compile a list of all the major cities in your area. Once you have completed this task I would then take each city (one at a time) and enter them into a google.com search. Next to each word, I would type the phrase, "and chamber of commerce." (i.e. Denver and chamber of commerce). Is there an easier way? Yes, you could try going to a website that offers a database of U.S. chambers. An example of this would be (www.2chambers.com), but do keep in mind that while they have a large list of chambers they may not have every chamber in your area. For this reason, it might be in your best interest to try both of these ideas!
2. Get Your Hands On Your Local Business Newspaper Or Magazine.
Do you want to know what's going on in your local business community? Then buy a copy of your local business newspaper or magazine. Many of these periodicals have an online website where you can get some of this information for FREE! Also, when you contact prospects that are featured in one of these two mediums it's a fantastic way to warm up your cold calls! These prospects could be in featured stories, picture captions, in advertisements or even in a section called "People On The Move" (business professionals who have been promoted or who have just joined a company). Have you ever done this? If not, or even if you have, check out my latest article called: "Cold Calling The Movie Star Way!"
3. Target Industry Associations.
Make a list of all your target prospects (i.e. attorneys, doctors, chiropractors, builders, marketing professionals….). For each prospect enter them into the search box of google.com along with these words "and association" (i.e. doctor and association). You can even target this search further by adding an "and" then follow your keyword with your state (you will get more responses when type a state in the search box versus typing a specific city). For example, your search would look like this: doctor and association and California. Once you locate the website of an industry association you can see if they have an online searchable member directory. If they don't then perhaps they have an upcoming networking event that you could attend.
4. Use PR Newswire Association To Find FREE BUSINESS LEADS!
A phenomenal source for finding FREE business leads is PR Newswire Association (www.prnewswire.com). This service provides electronic distribution of news for nearly 40,000 corporate, government, association, labor, non-profit, and other customers worldwide. These companies use PR Newswire to reach a variety of critical audiences including the news media, the investment community, government decision-makers, and the general public with their up- to-the-minute, full-text news developments.
If you visit (www.prnewswire.com) and click on the "Advanced Search" text link just under the "Search Box" you will enter a special section where you can search thru a multitude of press releases (within the last 30 days). You can perform searches by company, industry, subject, state, and even search by keyword! In my opinion, one of the best features on PR Newswire is your ability to search for newly hired or promoted business executives (i.e. Personnel Announcements located under the news by subject search feature) in over 50 industries in all 50 states. This is definitely worth your time!
5. Consider Using The Fish Bowl Marketing Technique To Generate Leads.
Fish Bowl Marketing allows you to get hundreds of leads, even thousands of leads. How is this possible? It's so easy, first you need to locate a restaurant that caters to your target demographics (i.e. business professionals). Next, walk into the restaurant and ask to speak with the owner. If they say, "The owner can't speak with you right now!" You then say, "Would the owner speak with me if I were going to buy 11 people lunch every week for the next few months?" When you respond this way it will increase your chances of speaking with the business owner. When the owner enters what do you then say?
Here is one suggestion:
"Hi, My name is _______, I'm with ___________ and I would like to buy 11 people lunch on me every week for the next few months." The owner will then say, "Sure, how?" You then say, "I would like to put a fishbowl by your register. The sign that is posted on the fishbowl will indicate that the winner will receive FREE LUNCH and may invite 10 other people from their office (or if you like, you can say that you will draw names individually--it depends on your target audience)." The sign that you post will also indicate that the winners receive FREE Lunch while they attend a 5 to 10 minute seminar on your product or service. Your next job is to come up with something catchy, creative and fun. You need a topic that inspires people to drop their card into the bowl. Finally, make sure that your sign looks professional and eye- catching.
6. Locate Companies That List Their Employees Online.
Many companies list their top-level executives online. There are also companies that list their employees in a searchable online database. What companies? Here are a few examples:
* Law Firms
* Residential Real Estate Firms
* Commercial Real Estate Firms
* Insurance Agencies
* Financial Institutions
7. Develop A Referral Program.
I would devote one hour each day to calling your existing customers. I would start off the call as a customer service call and then if you hear that they are happy simply ask them directly for a referral. As a courtesy, I would then follow up your call with a nice thank you note. You may even want to keep track how many referrals you get and how many referrals convert to actual sales. My guess is that you will be more than pleased with your results! Another suggestion that you could try is to send a direct mail piece or even an email and offer your customers a free gift in exchange for a few solid referrals.
8. Target Large Office Buildings In Your Area.
Once you have developed a target list of office buildings I would then come up with a good marketing flyer. What should you say? How can you get their attention? I would put together a flyer that includes an offer for "Free Starbucks" or "Free Pizza" for their entire office (then set up a meeting with your target prospect). In fact, if you do decide to do the Starbuck's flyer you may even want to carry around a Starbucks cup (might be easier empty) with you!
9. Exhibit At Tradeshows.
Get familiar with all the local networking association and groups in your area. Many of these organizations have quarterly or annual tradeshows. If you decide to be an exhibitor then I have one suggestion for you! BE PROACTIVE! Don't wait for people to come to you! You need to bring your prospects to your table. How do you do this? I have five words for you, what are they? A positive attitude is contagious!
10. Form Your Own Networking Group!
Do you know what time it is? It's time to start your own networking group! You can keep your expenses down by having each member host a different networking event at their office location. I would try to keep your group to a manageable membership level of about 20 members. This way you can get to know everyone so that you can easily exchange business leads.
Copyright 2006 MR. COLD CALL SEMINARS - All rights reserved.
Behind The Scenes With Mr. Cold Call Mr. Cold Call is the author of "How To Have Fun Cold Calling" and "115 Common Sales Objections, 156 Clever And Savvy Responses." According to Mr. Cold Call, "Your cold call success is dependent on 11 winning personality traits (known as your Telephone Persona Of Success!)." Collectively, these traits allow you to uniquely market yourself over the telephone so that you can inspire your prospect's curiosity and reduce their resistance. Are you interested in finding out more about Mr. Cold Call? Then sign-up for his weekly cold calling tips at http://www.mrcoldcall.com |
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