While it can be frustrating, one of the best ways to build your database is one person at a time. Sure, you can rent mailing lists all day long but there is no emotional connection with you and the people on those lists. Conversely, when you get out in your community and meet people, you are building relationships and building a lifelong network filled with relationships. If you want more business, meet more people. Add them to your database and continue to build a relationship with them. When the time is right, present a co-marketing or charitable marketing opportunity to the other businesses or ask others for their business. It is amazing what can happen when you ask the right questions to the right people. Here are three ideas to get your week started right. Pick one and add it to your to-do list for this week and get some momentum happening for your business.
1. Speak – Find one targeted group to speak to. Whether it is a 7 am Rotary meeting with 30 people, the new mom and baby group at the hospital with 5 people or an assembly of 200 high school students, make a call this week and make it happen. If you don’t love to speak in front of large groups of people, choose to meet with the smaller groups in less formal situations. These types of engagements will always pay off for you in the long run.
2. Lead – A few years out of college when I was building my career and my network, I was an Ambassador for our local Chamber of Commerce. Our duties included attending ribbon cuttings, recruiting new members and basically, trying to help local small business owners succeed. This helped me become networked with the business community and I still have many relationships from that time in my life. When you own a small business, it is empowering to have relationships with other small business owners for everything from co-marketing opportunities to morale support.
3. Join – There are many organizations that you can join that will benefit you for your entire career. From groups specifically made for business networking (BNI), Rotary, NAWBO, EO and more. This is a great way to meet people who are going through the same challenges you are and can help you grow your business.
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