Top 10 Strategies to Quickly Build Your List · Top 10 Strategies to Quickly Build Your List...

Top 10 Strategies to Quickly Build Your List

Strategy # 1: Mechanism to Capture and Store Prospect Contact Data

A critical strategy in the success of your business, is to get the contact data of people you meet, visitors to your website and all others who could be clients or referral partners. This way, you can stay in touch with them and build trust over time. For example, if someone visits your website, it is not likely they will call you right away for an appointment. It IS likely they will give you their email in exchange for a free offer, like an audio class, a handout, a newsletter etc.) Even if you don't have a website, when you meet someone at an event or through a referral partner you can offer to add them to your list.

To do this, you need a newsletter service. Here are the two I recommend:

Constant Contact: this is an affordable service for newsletters and auto responders. You can receive 2 bonus months at www.NotterNewsletter.com

Cartville: this system allows you to send newsletters, have auto responders and even create products/courses to sell via your website. Visit www.www.NotterShoppingCart.com to learn more.

Your action steps to ponder:

1) Research which service should you use, or how to get more out of your current service.

2) What is your giveaway when someone visits your website, or in general?

3) When will you put these upgrades in place, what is your timeline?

© 2011 Robert Notter Business Coaching www.HeartSellingCourse.com

http://www.notternewsletter.com/

http://www.nottershoppingcart.com/

http://www.heartsellingcourse.com/

Strategy # 2: Public Speaking, Free or Paid (In Person)

When you do public speaking, in addition to being more visible and potentially finding clients, you have a big opportunity to build your list. So, it's important to consider where you think you'd like to talk and who can help you do this. Where is your ideal client going already for support, events and lectures? What people/places do you know now or can get to know that you can work with to get a speaking engagement?

When you are at an event, in addition to giving a great presentation (provide valuable information but DON'T give it all away), you can provide a bonus giveaway. For example, say that you do a talk on how to have more energy. You can let the attendees know that as a special gift you have prepared a worksheet on "5 Ways to Have More Energy at Work". So, you'd simply let them know that your assistant is passing around a form, and if they write down their name and email address legibly, you'll send this to them the next day. This can be in addition to having a "sign in" list, as people love to receive free bonuses.

Once you get home, you or your assistant can add all of those new people to your contact list (step 1) and then email them the handout. In addition to them being excited you gave them something for free, you can now stay in touch every month and build trust with your newsletter.

Last but not least, when permissible, you can make an offer at the end of your talk, e.g. an initial consultation, program, product or other service.


1) Where can you do an event?

2) What topic will you present?

3) When can you schedule it? (give yourself enough time to market)

4) What's your end goal? (new contacts, consultations, program sign up)

5) Who can support you at your events?



Strategy # 3: Teleseminars, Free or Paid

A fantastic way to build your list and promote a program or service, is to host a teleseminar. This option doesn't limit you by geography, as people can join in from all around the country, and the world. You can record the class too, and make the audio available afterwards on your website and/or through email distribution (via a link).

To build your list, you'll want to have participants register for the course ahead of time (we will talk about marketing and timelines later in the course). The best way is to have a sign up box on your website, that connects back to your newsletter service. You can create a category on your email newsletter service (all of the major providers will let you create "categories" or "auto responders" for contacts). Note: It's best to have a web savvy friend help with this as technical aspects can get complicated.

If you don't have a website, you can simply have people email you back and say they want to participate, and you can manually add them to the list. Again, though, I recommend working smarter not harder, it's always best to automate so you have time to focus on the activities that generate you income and new contacts.

The teleclass option can be used for a number of purposes:

as a free preview for an upcoming course for which you want to charge

a promotion for a program or group style of coaching

an invitation to an initial consultation

a fee-based series of classes for which you'll charge

a community/visibility builder to simply have people get to know you

interview another guest "expert"

Recommended Services:

Teleclass Line

There are many providers for free, and as an option when starting out, you can do this. www.NoCostConference.comand www.FreeConference.comare two options. Keep in mind, the free lines are not as reliable and you need to call form a land line, not a cell phone or VOIP (Vonage etc.)

My favorite service is NConnects, learn more at www.NotterConference.com

This service gives you the option for your participants to call by phone, listen on the web, and you can even show slides during the presentation.


http://www.nocostconference.com/

http://www.freeconference.com/

http://www.notterconference.com/


Audio Recording

My absolute favorite service provider is Audio Acrobat, www.NotterAudio.com. You can record audios, conference calls, interviews. Then, you can choose a nicely designed player bar to put on your website, you can provide a link to your contacts to download your class, and even listen via an email link.


1) What service will you use for the call line?

2) What topic will you present?

3) When can you schedule it? (give yourself enough time to market)


5) Who can support you on the call?


http://www.notteraudio.com/


Strategy # 4: Workshop or Teleseminar Guest Speaker

One of the ways to work "smarter not harder" is to consider who you know, or can get to know (organizations and/or individuals) who already have clients/members/patients, i.e. an email list.

This way, you can reach out to these contacts and start the discussion to be a guest speaker. For example, if you are a health coach, do you know another practitioner (who does work complimentary to yours) that you could offer to speak for? Perhaps your friend Jane, the life coach, would be happy to have you speak on her upcoming monthly teleclass, and talk for 15 - 20 minutes about how to "Have More Energy Every Day."

So, think about who you know who is connected to your target market and has a list already. Then, reach out to them, in a non pushy way, and ask "how you can be of support to them and their community".

Very important: If you are a guest speaker, it's imperative that you always have something to offer, so that you get the emails of people who are on the calls or at the workshops. If you are in person, always remember to offer a "bonus" to your talk. Perhaps you are a relationship coach, and you're speaking at an event (organized by someone else) about how find your soul mate. You certainly don't want to give them your entire program in 45 minutes. You want to provide value, but leave them wanting more, so they come to you for a next step (consult, program etc.).

During your talk, you can let them know that you have a "bonus handout" on "5 Tips To Identify Your Ideal Partner" that you are happy to send them the next day. Have your assistant hand out the signup sheet, to get their name and email address. This way you can stay in touch with them, and build trust. And they get a valuable handout with some helpful tips (but not too much) that lets them see you as someone who gives value.

If you are a guest speaker on a teleclass, you can offer a website address for your free give away. Or, you can ask the organizer if you can get the emails of the attendees and let him/her know you are going to send them a bonus after the talk, to provide more value.

Anytime you speak live (or on a recorded interview) you should pre-plan your "giveaway" so that people are excited to give you their email in exchange for something of interest.


1) Who do you know now, to reach out to, and explore the idea or speaking?

2) Where can you do research to find additional contacts for speaking?

3) What would you want to talk about?

4) What is your bonus/free list building offer?




Strategy # 5: Write Articles

Writing articles is a wonderful way to let people get to know you, through your words, and create a connection to build trust. This can be online and offline. You always want to write about topics of interest your target market, and do so in a way that you provide value, but don't give it all away.

Here are examples of where you can write articles:

Online publications that your target market reads

Websites that your target market visit

Guest write for someone's newsletter

Magazines and other periodicals

Local paper

Article directory, including www.EzineArticles.com

In person newsletter (doctor's offices etc.)

Health journals

When you write an article, it is always important to make sure your name and contact information are part of the bio of the article. This should include your website address. Additionally, you should offer a free giveaway, much like you do for a speaking engagement.

For example, you could say in the "about the author" or "bio" section of the article: "to learn more about Jane's work and to receive your free report on Top Tips to Reduce Your Stress at Work please visit (website address) or send an email to (email)." Again, when you give, you get. And then you can stay in touch and build trust with the article readers, who will now be on our newsletter (after you send them the free report).


1) Where can you research places to write and people to contact?

2) What would you like to write about, which topics?

3) What is your bonus/free list building offer?




Strategy # 6: Social Media

Let' s face it, being on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc. is a way to be visible and find many more contacts. Are you using social media, or are you waiting for the "right time"? Here are some tips on how to make social media work better for you.

Facebook:

1) Make sure your profile showcases your business, -or- create a "page" for your business that talks about what you do, the benefits, and tells people how to learn more about you.

2) Organize your contact list and friends into categories, like "potential clients", "clients", "referral partner" etc. Facebook gives you the option to create friend categories, so when you create events you can invite the specific list for which it will be of interest.

3) Search for people you know, clients, potential clients, referral partners, and add them as friends, so they can get to know you. Or ask people to "like" your page.

4) Promote your events on Facebook, by using the "event" function (please reference the help portion of their website). When you send out the invite, through the "invite guests" function, you can pick exactly which friend groups or people to invite.

5) Post articles on Facebook in the "notes" section of your profile. You can reuse your newsletters or any articles you've written.

6) Post on your wall: share things that are of value, fun, interesting, anything that your contacts will like and enjoy; things that will let them know who you are and what makes you unique.

a good book or article you've read and recommend

a song you love, or music you enjoy (even include a YouTube link)

what you are doing for dinner with your family

a show you saw and enjoyed

what your family is up to, kids etc.

fun things in your personal life

a tip about health or wellness that will help people

any other thing you think of that is fun and lets people see you



7) Promote on your wall. This can include any of your events, products, courses, consultations. Make it fun, give them a link to learn more. Don't overdo it though, try to keep your wall posts 80% informative (point 6) and 20 % promotion.

8) Post on friends/clients walls. Share how great they are, what you enjoy about their profile, a fun tip make yourself visible.

9) Share your Facebook profile link on your website, your newsletters, and other marketing materials.

10) Make sure your pictures are appropriate for our audience.

Twitter:

1) Create a profile if you don't have one. Share about your work, your website, choose a fun name.

2) Choose a fun picture of you for the background design, and your logo or company name.

3) Follow people you like, referral partners, people in complementary fields.

4) Follow people who follow you.

5) Tweet about your life, fun tips, things your followers will enjoy (same as item # 6 above, for Facebook).

6) Promote your events (same as item 7 for Facebook, 80/20).

7) Share your Twitter profile link on your website, your newsletters, and other marketing materials.


1) How can you upgrade your profile and information on social media sites, so it showcases your business?

2) What is your first step to make your Facebook interesting, and so you can be more visible?

3) Once you have your Facebook profile or page set up, how can you organize your contacts?

4) What are fun things you'd like to post or tweet about?

5) What would you like to offer/promote on social media?



Strategy # 7: In Person Networking & Events

First of all, do some research and figure out where your ideal clients are going. What business events, charity functions, fundraisers, social events, sporting events, fitness related, health fairs, you name it! And, think about where your ideal referral partners may be. Then, make sure you show up at these place, ready to shake hands, say hello, and learn more about people. Try out one place at a time.

Your goal is to build your contact list, and when appropriate get a client, if the conversation with a particular person leads to that. But, don't be pushy. It's better to get someone's card then to move too quickly and push your services on them.

When you go to a networking event, make it your goal to "give" not "take". Talk with people you feel drawn to, make sure to get their card, offer to send them something of value after. This could include an article you read or wrote, book recommendation, your newsletter, a recipe, you name it. When you give, it creates an energy for them coming back for more. This way, you can stay in touch with them afterwards and build trust.

A high mileage strategy is try to meet and connect with the person or people organizing the event. Then, you can offer to be of support, "volunteer" your time, make yourself available. It may mean that you simply email the event coordinator the next day and say thanks for the event, and if you can ever be of any support, please let you know; and explain what you do. Don't push yourself on them, simply plant the seeds. This way, as you stay in touch, and build these relationships, you may one day be a presenter at the event, or write for their newsletter, or be asked to be a referral partner. Let things unfold, and stick with it.


1) When can you sit down to research events in your area to check out?

2) What will you say when people ask you what you do?

3) What are some of the things you can "give" when you get someone's card?

4) Who are key people, who are connected to you target market, that you can get to know?



Strategy # 8: Give Testimonials

Think about people you like and admire, or someone you may have worked with, either as a client or practitioner; someone whose class you took, or book you read. You may offer to share a testimonial for them, that they can put in their newsletter or website, that simply says how much you got out for their work.

Who do you know who may be open to a glowing testimonial from you? Make sure you have the person put your website address as part of your testimonial. In fact, I have clients who appear on my www.BookClientsNow.com website that tell me they have gotten clients by simply giving me a testimonial!


1) Who are all of the people you admire (practitioners, authors, speakers etc.) that have a contact list and or website, that you could offer to do a testimonial for?

2) When would you like to reach out to the first 3 of these people?



Strategy # 9: Advertise

This strategy is not always the best to do first, as it can be costly and yield results less quickly. If you do want to take an ad out about your services, programs, or consultations, be sure that you do it in publications (online and offline) that are read directly by your target market or referral partners.

The key to an ad is to make a specific offer, either for a free giveaway, a consultation, a discount on a package etc. It really depends on what your area of expertise is. And, always give the person a next step, for example "to receive 15 % off your first massage therapy session, mention this ad in 'Natural Health' and call (number) to set up your appointment."

Here are a few of the types of places you could advertise:

Magazines and other print publications

Other newsletters

Online websites

Journals

Trade show promo materials

Local radio

Television (public cable)


1) Does it make sense for you, budget wise, to potentially make a minimal investment in advertising?

2) What are some publications, online and offline, that would be the most likely to give you the biggest reach with your ideal clients?

3) What will you say in the ad, to feature the benefits of your work?

4) What's your action step/offer for people who see the ad?



Strategy # 10: Be Visible On the Web

Everyone is on the web, and the more you make yourself seen, the more people remember you!

Take some time to research which websites, blogs etc. that your target audience frequents, then become more visible. Again, it' s about building familiarity, and shining your name out there.

Here are some ideas to start:

post comments on blogs, join in on discussions and include your website address

put your name on free "practitioner directory listings" on websites related to health

submit free articles to websites that allow this function

post book reviews on Amazon

comment on various discussion boards

post your events on "event listings" for local organizations, or national organizations


1) Where are your ideal clients sending time online?

2) What websites can you use the above strategies for?

3) When can you incorporate this into your weekly timeline, so you are consistent but also efficient with your time?



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