Connecting With More Prospects and Customers

It doesn't matter what type of business you work in, prospects and customers are key to your success. If you don't have prospects and you don't have customers, you don't have a business.

So how can you go about connecting with more prospects and customers?

The first step is, quite simply to identify prospects. There are many leads that you can follow, and once you have pinpointed prospects, you can start the process of converting them to customers. Then you can get on with your business of providing the best products and services available in your particular industry.

First Find the Prospects
There are a myriad of ways that you can find prospective clients for your business, both online and in the real world. To a large extent the route you follow will depend on the particular type of business you are in, but might include chambers of commerce and industry, networking groups, professional organisations, and business communities.

Advertising has always been a good way to find prospects, but today it extends way past the old fashioned traditional media - newspapers, radio, magazines, even outdoor billboards. Today blogs, social media, Internet radio, email marketing, webinars and a whole bunch of other possibilities will help you identify and source new leads.

Once you've identified prospects, the trick is to convert these people or businesses into customers.

Converting Prospects into Customers
One of the biggest mistakes people in business make is assuming that because they have a prospect, they are guaranteed of a customer. Nothing could be further from the truth. A prospect is merely a potential customer, and before you get the business, there's going to be a whole lot more work to do.

On occasion you will find that all you have to do to convert a prospect into a customer is show them what you have to offer, and then convince them that your product or service is better than that offered by your competitors. But not all prospects are easy to convert. Here are three tips to help you succeed by getting closer to tough prospects:

1. Form a relationship with your prospective customer outside of work. Get to know the person by joining the same community organizations he or she belongs to, or by helping with a charity their business is involved in.
2. Make a point of attending events you know your prospect will attend. It'll take a bit of research, but it is likely to be worthwhile. Just don't make the mistake of bringing up business in this environment; the idea rather is to get to know the right people and in this way open doors.
3. Sometimes existing customers can help you get close to new prospects. Remember that personal recommendations stand for a lot.

Finally, just as customers have individual needs, so too do prospects. If you can meet these, you'll have a very good chance of engaging with both prospects and customers, and keeping them with you for the long haul.

Divyesh Nathoo is the Managing Director of Twin Consulting, a company dedicated to helping Australian businesses manage and grow successful long term businesses.

With an impressive track record in building several successful businesses himself, Divyesh has the hands on experience (and qualifications) to help other business owners who want to take their businesses to the next level. The Twin Consulting team specialises in providing strategic planning, implementation and analysis, business development, marketing, and human resources training and management services.

Divyesh is a challenger, and operates his business and personal life by setting challenge after challenge. Find out more about Divyesh Nathoo and Twin Consulting, their services and interesting client case studies at the twin consulting website. HR Management

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