How far would you go on a first date?

In last weeks article I talked about how falling in love was similar to a business relationship – in this weeks piece I want to discuss what you would and wouldn’t do on a first date

So, my first question is:  Would you propose marriage on the first date?

 

I am guessing (and it is only a guess) that when you meet your ideal partner, even if it IS love at first sight, you probably wouldn’t propose on the first date – now, I could be wrong on this score, but I am going with my instincts here! 

 

But, even if you were confident enough that you had found the love of your life and you were sure that you were going to be together for the rest of your lives, asking this question on your first date is almost certainly going to get an outright NO! and quite rightly so!

 

Before anyone would make such a commitment, you need to develop your relationship and trust with them first - or at the very least, go out on a couple of dates, send some flowers, understand a little bit more about them – you get the picture?!

 

The same applies to your ideal client!

 

In order to get the best results from your marketing, you need to be nurturing and developing the relationship you have with potential prospects over time.   Now, don’t get me wrong here, I'm not necessarily advocating that you marry your clients (although you should never rule out the possibility), but there does need to be a relationship there before they hand over their details and commit to buying your services.

 

You see, a large percentage of what influences someone to buy is the relationship they have with you. They need to trust what you offer will get them the results they want, and they need to know that you are the right person to go to.

 

This relationship is built by utilizing several routes to market simultaneously 'touching' each prospect from several angles and offering them high value information that will help grow their business!

 

Here are four things you MUST do in your marketing, in order to develop a relationship with your prospects, so when they're ready to buy they come to you.

 

1.       Position yourself as a leader/expert in your chosen field (this makes you the "go to" person, so you're the one prospects people come to when they need help).

 

2.      DO NOT SELL - instead, give away high value content (everyone likes receiving 'gifts' and we are all taught to repay favours).

 

3.      Make regular contact...  And I mean REGULAR!  Providing a once-a-month newsletter is no longer good enough in todays fast moving, all you can eat data market. (Relationships are built over time - regular contact will ensure your prospects don't forget about you).

 

4.      Create adialogue - Listening can be just as important as telling (don't just speak at your prospects, encourage their response where possible to get the conversation going).

 

When you do this, not only will you see an increase in the amount of leads you are generating, more of these leads will turn into sales opportunities, so you can sign more clients and earn more money! And ultimately enjoy continued success – and that is what it is all about, isn’t it?

If you would like us to share some of our secrets about winning and keeping new customers, then you can email us at either enquiries@blueboxconsultancy.com or hello@blueboxrecruitment.com – either way, I am sure that your messages will get to us.  As always, you can call us on 084 3289 3288 (for Blue Box Management Consultants) or 08456 894 894 (for Blue Box Executive Recruitment)

If you want to learn more about what Blue Box WOULD do on a first date, and want to know the kind of businesses we like to ‘date’ then have a browse at our websites www.blueboxconsultancy.com and www.blueboxrecruitment.com

Until the next time, take care, be bold and do good business