This week’s marketing challenge is to make a new business contact. Meet another lawyer or other professional in your community or target market.
All you need to do is introduce yourself, get their “details†(what they do, their contact information) and give them yours.
I’ll make it easy for you. You can “meet†them via email or on the phone. (Phone is better, for many reasons, but email is a place to start).
Okay, but where do you find them, and what do you say?
You find them anywhere. Grab a phone book, bar directory, or go online and search.
What do you say? You tell them your name, what you do, and where you’re located.  Then tell them where you found them: I found your name in the Chicago Bar Association member directory. I found your website. I saw your ad, read an article you wrote, saw your picture in the paper.
For good measure, say something nice about them: I like your website, I liked your article, I was impressed by your story.
Next, tell them why you’re contacting them.
“I thought I’d find out more about what you do, tell you a bit about what I do, and see if there’s a way we might be able to work together [help each other]â€.
Simple. Honest. Straightforward.
If your first contact is via email instead of the phone, use that email to invite them to speak with you on the phone or meet you for coffee. You need to talk to them, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
When you speak, ask them about their specialty or what kinds of clients or customers they target. To get things started, or keep the conversation going, you might ask, “How long have you been doing that?†or “How did you get started?â€
You want them to open up and tell you about themselves. Your turn will come later.
If things go well, ask them what they do to bring in new clients. Do they advertise? Network? Blog? Do they have a newsletter? Do they do webinars? If they’re good at marketing, they might be able to send you a lot of referrals.
Exchange contact information. Tell them you’ll send them some information about what you do or your new report, and then follow-up. If things go well, before you end the conversation, you might schedule another time to talk or to meet for lunch.
And that’s how it’s done. And that’s your challenge for the week.
Learn more on what to say and what to send them: click here
