Which Techniques are Tops

Hey, we all want to know which are the very best practice- building techniques, so we can stop wasting time on those that don't cut it.

Issue #3 listed them according to EFFECTIVENESS, while #4's lists were graded by USAGE. Neither told the whole story. So I combined the two ratings into one score for each tool . The top techniques are those with the highest percentages among the high earners. You'll find them in the upper half of the first list below.

If you want more, or better prospects, replace techniques that are low on this list with those that are higher on it.

Replace "Cold calling", say, with "Printed newsletter".

It may surprise you that "Cold Calling" appears at all on the high earner list. But the others take more time to bear fruit, or a prospect dry spell hits, and the only answer is to do it the hard way.

Whenever I was forced to cold-canvass, it reminded me that to avoid it in the future, more effort was needed to get the other techniques working to their fullest.

We will ALWAYS need new clients, because we keep losing the old ones. So prospecting never ends . Sorry, but that's life.

Here's the first list, showing the percentages for 49 HIGH earners (over $100,000/yr.) of Effectiveness/Usage scores in attracting, and retaining clients, sorted from high to low:

1. Referrals from clients, and non-clients............... 94.3%

2. Contacting clients by phone, or in person........... 73.9%

3. Printed newsletter, mailed or hand-delivered...... 47.3%

4. Seminars, teaching classes................................ 43.3%

5. Participation in organizations of clients............... 38.0%

6. Speeches, talks to civic, trade, select groups.... 31.0%

7. Electronic newsletter, faxed, e-mailed, etc......... 29.8%

8. Website focussing on you, and your business... 27.8%

9. Writing articles for papers, magazines, etc. ....... 27.8%

10. Professional public relations............................... 22.9%

11. Cold e-mailing, faxing, mailing brochures, etc..... 21.6%

12. Cold calling, by phone, or in person.................... 18.4%

13. Directory listings.................................................. 18.4%

14. Working with the media........................................ 18.4%

15. Advertising in newspapers, magazines.............. 14.7%

And here's the data for the 45 LOW earners(under $100,000/yr.):

1. Referrals from clients, and non-clients................. 90.5%

2. Contacting clients by phone, or in person............. 76.7%

3. Participation in organizations of clients................. 41.4%

4. Cold calling, by phone, or in person...................... 35.2%

5. Seminars, teaching classes.................................. 35.2%

6. Printed newsletter, mailed or hand-delivered........ 24.8%

7. Advertising in newspapers, magazines............... 22.4%

8. Cold e-mailing, faxing, mailing brochures, etc....... 22.4%

9. Speeches, talks to civic, trade, select audiences. 19.5%

10. Professional public relations................................. 17.1%

11. Electronic newsletter, faxed, e-mailed, etc........... 15.2%

12. Writing articles for newspapers, magazines, etc. 14.8%

13. Directory listings.................................................... 13.3%

14. Working with the media......................................... 10.0%

15. Website focussing on you, and your business...... 8.6%

Cold-calling is in the bottom 1/3 of the high-earners' list, and the top 1/3 of low earners'. Is there a message here?

Which Techniques are Tops - To learn more about this author, visit Donald F. Pooley's Website.

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