Page 239 - Duct Tape Marketing

Duct Tape Marketing

letter introduces her company and urges the homeowners to call any-
time day or night if there is a problem with noise or trash or anything.
She does occasionally receive a complaint, which she immediately takes
care of. But more than anything else, she receives appreciation from her
clients, as well as the neighbors. And she gets a lot of referral business
from one simple letter.

You can do a series of letters keeping the homeowners up to speed
on the progress or showing a photo of the completed work.

Networking
Networking events are not just ways to meet new potential cli-

ents; they are ideally suited to expanding your network of resources,
as well as referral sources. Many people attend networking events to
pass out business cards and introduce themselves to potential new
clients. Take advantage of this fact and invite other attendees to tell
you what they do. Make note of how these folks might be of service
to your clients. Remember the golden referral rule: you will receive
more referrals if you give more referrals. When you view and use net-
working events in this manner, you will find that they are much more
productive. Instead of being the salesperson, you become the buyer,
and people will flock to find out who you are.

I might add that almost every major city has one or more chapters
of a group called Business Network International (www.BNI.com).
This is a group of business owners and marketers formed for the pri-
mary purpose of building powerful referral networks. Each group
limits membership to one person per industry to avoid competitive
situations. While every chapter is independently run, they can net-
work for referrals.

Network with the Rich and Famous
One of the quickest ways to get exposure, promote a book, gain

an introduction, find a mentor, generate traffic, or launch a product

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