WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO MARKET YOUR VA SERVICES

How often do you go to a network event to be bombarded by desperate people whose immediate reaction is to sell at you before respectfully introducing themselves and giving the time and space to listen to what you might have to say?

With the high cost of attending networking events, money for petrol and parking, with a despondent feeling at the end of the session that very little business has taken place, it definitely paints an unhappy picture. This was the feedback I received after holding our local VA Get Together session in March.

The art of introducing yourself to another person at an event appears to be so aggressive and desperate with very little room left for listening to what the other person has to say. Care, consideration and respect for the other person seems to have disappeared off the planet. The human survival tactic has strongly come into play whether receiving a phone call from a desperate sales person selling telecoms and advertising space through to door to door sales people flogging utilities for the eighteenth time.

More and more people are asking what’s the best way to market your business.

Sheer persistence and patience, which unfortunately isn’t a good enough answer to those who always ask how long does it take to get your first client on board and then build up regular work.

There are no hard and fast rules set in stone when it comes to marketing a business. You do have to plan (that almost annoying dirty word that makes people sigh) – having a strategy that incorporates a large mix of marketing tools and applications as a continuous ongoing role is an absolute must.

Another question – how many times do you go to a network event and receive an email from someone you met to say - it was really nice to meet you?

Do you send a follow up email to all those people you meet and chat with, just a short note to say it was a pleasure to meet and speak with you and hope to see you again?

It might sound really corny and simple plus an extra job to do but having good manners and making the time to contact them afterwards is very important – not enough people do this.

And do you add all these people you’ve met with their business cards to your spreadsheet of contacts ready to send them a follow up on your new services and products. How else are you going to build your database of potential customers?

The biggest learning curve in our 5 years in business is always to treat people with respect, use your ears (we have 2 of them) to listen to people and always be kind. You are there to do business and build relationships – long lasting ones hopefully.

Going back to the marketing strategy you need to look at what other people are doing in your industry too. Take a look at what others are promoting on their websites, make note of their clients by reading their testimonials, this will give you insight into what industries they’re tapping into. Get yourself set up with Google Alerts and put in key words so you’re always up to date with new research via the internet. A good mix of online marketing using LinkedIn, sending out personalised emails, writing articles and news updates and attending network events is something you need to concentrate on as well as wearing all the other hats in your business.