The economy has everyone running scared...
and it's understandable.
Uncertainty breeds caution and caution puts the reins on spending.
Which can make it harder to convince people to spend money, even if you and they both know the need to if they want to succeed.
But there is one thing that overcomes fear, and that is trust.
The bad news is that building trust takes time.
The good news is, it's easy.
A lot easier than cold-calling.
Here are five ways trust can help you bring in more work: 1.
Establish a relationship The first thing you have to do is establish a relationship.
Period.
And the best way to do that is to get the prospect's permission to talk to them.
If you do nothing else to improve your business in 2009, I want you to promise your self you'll do this: put a system in place to contact your prospects.
By this, of course, I mean use Aweber.
com or some other auto-responder/mailing list system to capture email addresses and keep in touch with prospects.
Offer a newsletter or a few free reports that your prospects can't resist and put a sign-up form right on your site (Aweber makes it super simple...
and they offer lots of tutorial videos if you need some help).
Build a list of people interested in what you can do for them, and simply touch base with them from time to time, reminding them that you're there if they need help.
2.
Do lunch No body really likes to be sold to.
But few people will pass up the opportunity for a free lunch.
Here's the trick: Don't Ask Them for Work.
They'll be expecting that.
Instead, just talk to them.
See if you can find out what their biggest challenges are right now.
Then see if you can come up with any stories about how you and your clients have solved similar problems in the past.
Be extra clear on the benefits of the solution you provided, and sort of vague about exactly how you did it.
When they ask how you did it say: "tell you what, I've got a case study on it.
When I get back to the office, I'll email it to you.
" Not only is he relieved you didn't try to sell him anything, but you have his email address and have begun a dialog.
3.
Approach with Relevant Ideas Approach your contacts and lists with relevant ideas that can help them.
Tell them about simple things they could do on their own.
Point them to tools that can help them...
with any facet of their job...
not just marketing (the more you show that you understand their business and their needs, the closer you are to getting work).
Keep up with your contacts companies.
Send them congratulatory notes when something cool happens.
Send them some ideas if you hear about challenges they might be facing.
Just make sure they are relevant, or you'll just be interrupting and annoying them.
4.
Aim to Create Campaigns There's nothing wrong with one-off jobs.
I certainly wouldn't turn them down.
But if you get a job that seems like it might be a good idea to launch a larger campaign, let them know.
As a corollary, if they come to you with a project, and you can think of an idea that might be more effective, speak up.
They'll appreciate it if you save them money.
5.
Ask For Referrals When is the last time you asked for a referral? If you're like most writers, it was a long time ago.
I ask every client after every job.
I send invoices to my contacts, even if the company has a separate accounting department.
I include a brief note of thanks and tell them I'd appreciate them passing my name along if they know anyone who might be able to use my services.
And I toss two or three business cards into the envelope.
A prospect who comes to you based on a referral from a person they trust is already half-sold.
All you have to do is close the deal.
These are five things you can do to start getting new business quickly, even in a tough economy.
Just remember: are you building trust? Asking that question with every promotional action will take you a long way toward a more prosperous 2009.