Summer 2005 - Marketing Dimensions from Felber & Felber Marketing

	Summer 2005

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Top Ten Tips for Prospecting in Your Local Market

by Robert M. Felber, MAS, President, Felber & Felber Marketing

Always be prepared with a 30 Second Commercial. This is an engaging comment on what you do, who you do it for and what someone can expect as a result of working with you.

Purpose - engage the person and begin the qualifying process.

Keep it outcome based. Do not say what you do, but what results from what you do.

This is not selling, but engaging. The goal is to have the person asking you questions that allow you to peel onion and redirect with your own, more detailed and prepared questions.

Become a supporter of your local Community

What is your image in the community among customers, prospects, peers, employees, competitors, venders and the media? How does your company give back? Why you should bother? This image impacts recruitment and morale of staff, image among prospects and stabilization of your business environment.

Tie the supported causes to your views and your service. You can choose to involve yourself in causes you care about, causes important to employees and/or integrate your caring into a program that highlights your product.

Support your customer's causes. Donations of money, people or your goods/services indicate that they are more than a paycheck to you.

Join the local chamber of commerce

One of the best ways to support and take the pulse of your diverse business community is by joining the local chamber. Schedule a meeting with the executive director, chamber president or membership chair today.

See if your expertise (whether in product, production or logistics) is needed. Or, simply join a committee such as membership (my first choice), golf or entertainment and begin meeting your colleagues, neighbors and friends. Rob Felber has been on the local chamber board for 6 years, served as an officer for 4 and president twice. "I owe countless clients, friendships and even my office location to this involvement," says Rob.

Join associations relative to your target market

Even more direct than the chamber is an organization of your current and potential customers. If you specialize in food service, join the food service association and support their organizations efforts (events, newsletters, causes).

Important: do not join organizations of your peers (competitors) and call that networking. It simply does not refer you any business and may waste precious time. These groups are only valuable as resources for professional development and recruiting of staff.

Press Releases

A specially formatted document designed to quickly, accurately and interestingly tell a reporter or editor about your company. It is critical to understand whether your intended story is news or not. Awards and promotions are fine for the community newspaper, growth and investment is important to business publications and specific product or company news is more interesting to an industry trade publication.

Feature Story is often interpreted as a third-party endorsement. Consider the memberships you currently maintain and whether their newsletter is appropriate.

How are feature stories developed? Personal contact (get to know who covers what topic/beat at which publication and what is important to that publication), Pitch letters (document describing the situation, its importance and the possible angles for a story).

Networking is Work (check out these books: Bob Burg's Endless Referrals and Mel Kaufman's The Millionaires Handbook).

Remember your 30" commercial and be ready in ALL situations (golf course, bank line, kid's football game, community fund raiser, etc.).

DO NOT SELL. Know your goal: qualify and set appointments. You can run your sales call later.

Come early and stay late at all functions. If not, you are wasting the most valuable time at an event.

Questioning is positioning, prospecting and qualifying.

Follow up with handwritten notes. Want an example of my most successful personal tool? Contact Rob Felber.

Board Member and Officer Participation

Take your networking to the next level. No one will buy anything from you, refer you or even remember you until they: 'know you, like you and trust you.' Think about every business transaction you have had in the past 6 months. Trust is established by first giving of your time and energy to your chosen association.

Show first that you are a person who can be counted on. Think about a committee colleague who dropped the ball; would you hire them for your firm?

A leadership role positions you as an authority and opens other doors politically, educationally and professionally. If you are a leader, you are the spokesperson for the organization. You can even write a column in the monthly newsletter to foster greater positioning.

Events - How to Work a Room

Special situation. Is the event's purpose networking (high gear) or educational (low gear)? Be ready with your 30" commercial and questions.

Business Cards - Why to have them

Cheapest form of advertising.

Please, consider the impression you card will make and put thought into the design, paper stock and completeness of all required information. A company name and email address is not complete information!

Some say the only reason to have cards, is to get the other person's card! Remember the follow up note? How can you accurately write a note if you do not have the correct spelling, address, etc? Email is way too impersonal.

There is no and I mean NO EXCUSE to not have a card with you 24-7. Carry them everywhere: Your wallet, car, gym bag, luggage, golf bag. You never know when you will need them.

Always have something to write with or on. If you make a note and follow through….you are a person people would like to KNOW, LIKE, TRUST!

If you have any questions about these tips or would like to have us help you develop a specific tactic, contact Rob Felber at (330) 963-3664 or RobFelber@felberandfelber.com.

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