Filling the Pipeline Archives

Advertising Doesn’t Equal Marketing

I asked a new client recently what he had been doing to market his professional services. “Everything,” he said. “I’ve been running pay-per-click ads online, I hired someone to write a sales letter and mailed it to a list of local companies, I have a banner ad in my professional association’s directory, I’ve even been posting flyers around town… and I still have almost no business.”

“Ah hah,” I replied, “I think we’ve uncovered your problem. You actually haven’t been marketing your business. What you have been doing is advertising.”

Four Ways to Attract Clients Using Your Natural Magnetism

by Kristine Carey | Filling the Pipeline

You are naturally magnetic — really! There’s a natural way about you that’s attractive to others, and in the world of marketing, this magnetism is your secret sauce. By tapping into it, you’ll attract clients easily.

Not sure how to do that? Here are four ways you can harness your innate magnetism.

How to Make Networking Events Pay Off

by C.J. Hayden | Filling the Pipeline

Established professionals and those who are new in business often have a difference of opinion about going to networking events. Many old-timers in business say that live, in-person networking meetings are one of their most important sources of prospective clients, while the newcomers frequently claim to not see much return from attending these events. It’s the professionals’ length of time in business that seems to influence their view, not their age in years. So, what’s going on here?

Getting Over Your Fear of Asking for Referral Partners

by Kristine Carey | Filling the Pipeline

True or not true? Asking someone to become your referral partner is scary.

If you said true, you’re not alone.

How scary it is to ask someone to send you referrals depends on your comfort level. The more you practice the better you get, and that’s something you can build on. Even if asking for referrals doesn’t seem to come naturally, you can train yourself to do it comfortably enough — and it might even become fun!

Do Promotional Events Have a Place in Your Marketing Mix?

by Kristine Carey | Filling the Pipeline

Are you considering adding promotional events to your marketing mix? Remember that promotional events are one of six overall marketing strategies (more on that below), and can be a great way to garner visibility and gather leads to fill your marketing pipeline.

If you’re not sure what promotional events are, here are some examples:

Exhibiting at a trade show
Holding a free demonstration
Hosting your own webinar or workshop

Why You Need to Include Outreach Strategies in Your Marketing Mix

by C.J. Hayden | Filling the Pipeline

I’m a big fan of using attraction strategies to fill your marketing pipeline as a self-employed professional. Attraction-based tactics like blogging or publishing articles, posting on social media, and generating media publicity can all be effective ways to bring prospective clients into your sphere. Under the right circumstances, promotional events and advertising can work also.

And… attraction strategies alone are rarely enough to build a thriving business.

When Is It Time to Stop Marketing?

by Kristine Carey | Filling the Pipeline

When should a self-employed professional stop marketing his or her business? Here are a few possible scenarios where you might be tempted to put marketing on hold:

o When your pipeline is full.
o When you don’t need or want any more clients.
o When your schedule is so full you don’t know where you’d fit in another client.
o When you have five proposals pending and you’re afraid they’ll all come through.
o When the holidays / vacation / summer are approaching.
o When you’re so busy fulfilling your current client obligations you don’t have the time or bandwidth for marketing.

Need More Referrals? Partner Up!

by C.J. Hayden | Filling the Pipeline

Have you ever considered that prospective clients who are referred to you are much more likely to hire you than those who come to you in any other way? The endorsement of a referral carries so much weight that referred prospects ask fewer questions about your qualifications, are less likely to shop for the lowest price, and typically make their buying decisions much more quickly. In fact, they are often pre-sold when they contact you.

With the value of referred prospects being so high, it makes sense for generating more referrals to be an essential component of your marketing. But many professionals limit their ability to gain referrals by concentrating all their efforts on current and past clients.

How to Make Prospective Clients Aware of Your Work

by C.J. Hayden | Filling the Pipeline

I’ll bet you do great work with your clients. But if your clients are the only ones who know what you can do, you won’t stay in business. We all hope that satisfied clients will refer us to their friends and colleagues, but clients aren’t always your best source of referrals. So, we need to let more people know how terrific our work is.

There are many ways to let prospective clients know about your work, But for most self-employed professionals, there are only four categories that make sense: networking, speaking, writing, and media. These are the best avenues for people to become familiar with not only you, but with how your work creates tangible benefits.

Want Clients to Choose You? Be Special

by C.J. Hayden | Filling the Pipeline

The marketplace is crowded these days. It doesn’t matter how you’re trying to get clients. If you’re going to live networking events, you may find half a dozen professionals in your field at every event you attend. Online, there may be dozens of websites in your category that get a higher rank than yours. On social media, you probably see content from professionals like you all over the place. How will your potential clients find and choose you with all that competition?

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