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Top 10 Tips for Being Persistent
Written by: Nancy MichaelsArticle Overview: Top 10 Tips for Being Persistent
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Free Download - Top 10 Ways to Marketing Your Business in ‘09 By Nancy Michaels |
Top 10 Tips for Being Persistent
1. Establish Your Desired Reach and Frequency of Contact: This is your “persistence plan” and it will depend on several factors: First, depending on the size of the organization you are pitching, your proposal may need to be approved by several layers of people, but no matter what you should always correspond with your main contact. It may also depend on your prospect’s personal style, whether they are meeting with your competition, the economy, and the calendar. If you pitched just before the December holidays, you may have to wait a while for a response.
2. Smart, Simple, Tried and True Tactics: Immediately following your meeting, send a one-page recap of action times and delivery dates. Offer to help your prospect in some way, free of charge, or send a marketing tip or a suggestion that you did not mention in the meeting.
3. Send Articles of Interest: Check newspapers, magazines, industry publications, and e-newsletters daily for information that may be of interest to your prospect. Forward it with a brief note, but don’t mention your proposal.
4. Inform Your Prospect of Accomplishments and Recognize Theirs: Toot your own horn and share updates on new clients, new products, positive press, and new employee hires. On the same note, recognize any mention of your prospect’s company in the news or company developments with a note of congratulations.
5. Invite Your Prospect to Events: Invite your prospect to be your guest at an event in a non-meeting setting. Check your local newspaper or Chamber of Commerce listings for events. Even if he or she declines, you have proven yourself to be connected, generous, and dedicated to deepening your relationship.
6. Show Up Where Your Prospect Might Be: Attend industry events, association meetings, Chamber of Commerce functions or any event where you think your prospect or his or her colleagues may be.
7. Connect Through Mutual Contacts: Call a mutual acquaintance to say hello and update them on your potential deal. As a result, they might casually mention you the next time they run into your prospect.
8. Show that you Have a Good Memory: Remember specific details from your meeting and facts about your prospect. If his/her birthday falls during the waiting period, don’t hesitate to send a card.
9. Be Pleasantly Persistent without Being Obnoxious: If you still haven’t gotten a response after the agreed-upon timeframe, don’t panic or jump to conclusions. You can anonymously check up on your prospect by phoning the receptionist or an assistant. Attempt to make one contact each by phone, cell phone, and email. Wait one week and follow up again.
10. Creative Follow-Up Tactics: You are sure to get your prospect’s attention by doing something similar to what Stephanie Cohen and Hayley Byer of Verge Promotional Marketing do. They move their deals closer to closing by sending a cute flower pot containing soil and seeds. The attached note reads, “We want to grow your business.”
Article Tags: association meetings, chamber of commerce, check newspapers, colleagues, commerce functions, commerce listings, company developments, december holidays, delivery dates, industry publications, interest check, mutual acquaintance, persistence, personal style, proposal, several factors, share updates, suggestion, toot your own horn, true tactics
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About the Author: Nancy Michaels RSS for Nancy's articles - Visit Nancy's website Is the author of five books on marketing for small businesses, including Perfecting Your Pitch, (Career Press 2005) Off The Wall Marketing Ideas, (Adams Media 2000), How To Be A Big Fish In Any Pond, Media Madness, and A to Z to Visibility Served as Small Business Editor at US News & World Report, and the Small Business Marketing Expert for Entrepreneur Magazine. She is a regular contributor to Franchise Update and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Small Business (FSB), Success Magazine, The New York Post, Franchising Magazine, among numerous other publications Nancy also was the publicist for Matt Lauer (currently co-host of the Today show) Nancy is the President of her marketing company, Impression Impact, which she launched in 1990 and Founder of the Grow Your Business Network In the spring of 2005, Nancy became very ill and underwent a liver transplant due to liver failure. She is the grateful recipient of a donor liver. Find out how you can become a donor at www.organdonor.gov. Click here to visit Nancy's website Buying Your Way to the Top Save a Tree Create Profitable Products with a Punch that are Downloadable Top 10 Ways to Maximize Your Marketing Dollars 10 Things to Do During Your Summer Vacation Suffering from Information Marketing Overload |
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