Get Comfortable with Personal Marketing

By: karen grahams
May 13, 2008


If you’re making marketing cold calls, the person on the other side of the phone isn’t thinking that this is anywhere near a personal type of call. To market more personally, you need to establish a familiarity quickly and cold calling is not usually the right way to go to get and maintain leads. Here are a few tactics to use that may help you avoid cold calling and that will give your marketing tactics a more personal feel:

Make appearances. Being holed up in a cubical making calls all day is not very much fun and isn’t exactly the most effective way to generate business. You need to get out in the world and show your face. For example, buy some booth space at a trade show and stock it with full color brochures that will be sure to catch people’s eyes. Or, if you don’t have the means, you can attend a trade show targeted toward the type of businesses or individuals that you want to sell to. Whatever industry you’re trying to sell to will have a trade show. Ask questions and pay attention what other companies are doing to grow their business. Jot down some notes either while you’re talking or right after so that you can follow up later. Don’t forget to get and give business cards.

Listen. If you’re so busy selling your product that you don’t even know what the potential customer even wants, you’re just wasting your breath. You need to listen almost more than you need to talk. When you’re networking at parties or dinners, listen to the people around you. Don’t try to talk the whole time. People will respond more favorably toward you if you pitch your idea after they feel like they’ve gotten to know you a bit and vice versa. They’ve already spent time with you and if you’ve given them your undivided attention, they’ll be more likely to reciprocate.

Use the customers you already have. This is probably the easiest technique because you already have prospects; you just need to hold on to them! You can do this by following up with your customers after they’ve bought something from you. Make sure they are satisfied and let them know to contact you if any problems should come up. This keeps the communication open so the next time you call and mention a new product, you won’t be seen as pushy, just informative. Also, your satisfied customers will be more likely to refer you to their friends and family if they’ve received great customer service. They’ll also be more likely to provide you with referrals.

Another way to market to your existing customers is by letting them know what products you have that they didn’t know they needed. Try to think of other products that would complement the products that a customer has bought in the past and bring that up the next time you talk to him. If you employ brochure printing when marketing a new product, be sure to include past customers on your brochure mailing list that have bought something similar to the new product.

Research business prospects. If you have any customers like company presidents, look for any articles they’ve written or have had written about them. What are their latest products and how can your product or service help them create better or a higher number of their product? People will be flattered that you know about them and what their company is up to that they’re more likely to talk to you and listen to your ideas.

Find leads from people you already work with. Don’t forget that a co-worker could have an uncle that owns a Bait Shop that would benefit from carrying your line of coolers. Talk to your colleagues, vendors and existing customers to give you referrals. Has anyone asked you for a referral? It’s perfectly acceptable to go back to the people you’ve helped and ask for them for help in gaining leads.

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