Invite them to an Industry Event or Webinar

There’s no better way to prove that you can alleviate a prospects needs than to demonstrate that you’re invested and knowledgeable of the industry they work in.

Consider sending them an email and asking if they’d like to go to aparticular conference or speaker series regarding new and noteworthyevents occurring in their world.

Not only will this grant you more face-time with the prospect, but you’llbe able to naturally segue into a discussion regarding how you canadd value to their business.

Remember, there is a ton of value in the invite regardless of whether they attend.

Play Matchmaker

When is the last time you referred business or introduce apotential customer to one of your prospects?

With the mindset that you should be adding value and building relationships, youshould be able to locate unrelated needs or interests from the prospect that youcan refer to another connection.

It could be anything: Is their daughter looking for a new travel soccer team? You can help. Do they need new tile roofing? You know someone….or can make a few calls tohelp.

This doesn’t just nourish your relationship with the potential client, but with theconnection you referred as well. This is all value-add.

This method will also build your brand as someone who is important and well-informed within the community, a true go-giver, and a reputation that is highlyvaluable in securing new business.

Solve a Problem

Another way to show a prospective client that you’re invested is to sendover a free resource regarding their industry, general business practices,

or anything that they’ve demonstrated their lives can be improved by.

This shows you’re a good listener, careabout their needs, and want to take actionto alleviate those needs.

If you know your prospect is trying to learnguitar, and you know a good book ontechnique, sending it over will go a mile inensuring you’re a business partner yourclient will like and trust.

The personal touch goes a long way.

Ask Their Opinion

Let the prospect know that you value their perspective byasking a quick question about

something business related or otherwise.

Examples: “We’re currently trying to do XYZ to solvethis problem. From your experience, would such asolution be desirable within your industry?” OR“Would you be available to sit down and grab coffeenext week? I have a few ideas that are pertinent toyour industry and I’d love to discuss them withsomeone that has first-hand experience in the field.”

This method allows you to quickly rehash your potential business value while keeping it in the form of a mutual discussion.

You’re not pitching anything, you’re just having coffee and discussing how the customer’s needs could hypothetically be reached. With this on the customer’s mind, they’ll be more eager to seek your business going forward.

Nominate Them for an Award

This might be the grand gesture in locking down your prospect’sbusiness, and for good reason.

Nominating them for an award goesbeyond just simple words and gesturesthat you’re invested in them.

Dropping in their name for “CEO of theyear” or other industry or area awards thatyou respect them as business leaders andwant to see them succeed.

I promise, your prospect is not going toforget this when looking to take theirbusiness a step further.

If people want to like and trust their business partners, then they also want to feel respected.

Make Them Look Good

If I’m a prospect, I want to work with someone who genuinely caresabout my well-being beyond just our direct professional relationship.

One good way to do this? Spread a prospect’s potential value like wildfire among relevant individuals.Name-dropping the prospect in an appropriate situation with a few kind words can increase their exposure and keep them top of mind for others.

Reacting to a Profile Update

LinkedIn offers a miniature update feedwhere you can view news pertaining to yourconnections. If they’ve updated theireducation, experience, or interests, there willbe an indication in the update feed.

To view your LinkedIn feed, just access thehomepage and view the top-right corner of yourscreen.

LinkedIn will offer ‘X number of ways to keep in touch” and the quick option to like, message, or skip each new update.

Perhaps more crucial is the ability to view and respond when a connection has received a promotion or when any other laudable events have occurred.Send a quick email of congratulations, then tag along an offer to meet up, engage ina quick phone conversation, or attend an event together. After you’ve recognized their achievements, a prospect will be more inclined to hear what you have to say.

Offer Them Value for Free

If the prospect isn’t immediately willing to embark upon aprofessional relationship with you, give them a reason to.

Offer up a quick sampler of relevant information that can improve their business. If the information is truly beneficial to them, they will most certainly be interested in hearing more.

Send an email that recognizes one of their pain points, then offer a pro bono solution. They’ll surely be grateful for the advice, and you’ll be first on their list when future problems need to be addressed.

From this point, it’s smooth sailing. Let them know you have much more to offer, and schedule an occasion to share it with them.

This tactic goes to show that once you demonstrate value, opportunity will soon follow.

Invite to Lunch or Happy Hour

For that valuable face-to-face time, let the prospect know that you’rein the area for a few hours and would love to grab lunch or drinks.

There’s no reason to suggest that business will be the center of attention for the duration of the get-together, because it shouldn’t be.

Discuss relevant interests, hobbies, or last night’s game, then once you have their attention, casually mention a way in which you might be able to establish a professional relationship.

Don’t linger on the topic – make it quick and nonchalant, and even if they don’t respond immediately, it’s a near guarantee that you will remain top-of-mind when the time does come for them to service their needs.

Remember...There is VALUE in the invite! Don't worry so much about whether they accept your invitation.

Boost Their Online Brand with Social Currency

People love favors, and more often than not are inclined to return said favor.Consider a variety of mediums in which you can boost your prospect’s reputationamong colleagues, relevant industry affiliates, and thought leaders.

Using the “endorse” feature on LinkedIn, you can add credibility to a user’s listedskills. These endorsements appear for anyone who views their profiles, makingthem more appealing candidates for potential opportunities that might comealong.

You can also take the more customizable approach of writing a “recommendation,”where LinkedIn prompts you to write a few sentences commending a user’s workand service.

For one quick way to stay top-of-mind and segue into further conversation,“liking” an individual’s LinkedIn update shows support and general interest in theircareer without you seeming pushy or demanding.

If the prospect at hand has shared an intriguing article or blog post, “sharing” it canallow you to expand their area of impact, something they’ll surely be grateful for.

Quick Over View

•Play matchmaker, refer business to them if you can

•Set up google alerts to keep up on company news, giving you a reason toreach out beyond just “Checking in”.

•Solve a problem they have or introduce them to someone who can.

•Make them look good by namedropping their names in a positive light withrelevant individuals or nominating them for an award.

•Invite them to lunch or happy hour, mix a little bit of business with a lot ofsocial interaction. Get to know your prospects and what matters to them.

•Boost their on-line brand where you can, LinkedIn & Facebook will give youopportunities where you can Like, Share & comment positively on theircontent.

You’ve already taken advantage of my knowledge here. Why not have it more personalized for you firm.

Set up a FREE Strategy Session with Me, Mark McIntosh, so we can go step-by-step in what you can do to generate more leads and more sales for

your Firm and your satellite offices and Partners.

Simply, go to the link below and pick a time that works for you. It’s a simple, NO PRESSURE, NO OBLIGATION call.

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