You go to a conference – the speaker says that the key to getting more sales is to have more sales conversations. Ok. But, in the back of your mind you are thinking – how can I get people to sign up for a strategy session with me in the first place. I live in a tiny small town and I'm a bit of an introvert. How is that supposed to work?
I am not accepting your excuses. You want to know why? I live in a small town of about 75,000 people and I've managed to build a very successful business with practically zero local clients. In this post, I'm going to show you some ways to get those appointment slots on your calendar filled up. (If you want to know what to do once you are on the call – check out the webinar I'm doing next week).
Three Ways to Fill the Appointment Slots on Your Calendar
1. Speaking
If I were to credit just one thing to the growth of my business – it's speaking. Most of my high end clients sign up during my 3 day live event. Most of the people who attend my event meet me when I'm speaking at somebody else's event. Speaking instantly makes you the expert. Plus, you can talk to a room full of people all at once.
The easiest way to get speaking gigs is to go to events that have speakers. Ask the host who to contact to offer to speak. An easy way to get a speaking gig is to sponsor or buy a table at an event. Often this costs much less than you would think. Even 5 minutes in front the room will get you connections and appointments. Bring your paper calendar to the event so that you can make appointments on the spot.
2. Podcasts and Telesummits
I know that a lot of you find it hard to travel. I will say that not traveling will slow down your growth – especially if you don't live somewhere with a lot of local events. An alternative to travel is to work hard to become a podcast or telesummit guest. This is going to be harder for you at the very beginning because your list will be smaller. The easiest way to get leverage is to create an interview series of your own and offer to trade guest spots. This has the added advantage of building your list at the same time. When I started out I did two interviews a month – and grew my list by thousands. I also started get more invites because my guests promoted me to their audiences. It was a win win.
It is slightly easier to get on a podcast. Go to Blog Talk Radio or Radio Guest List and contact the hosts to see if they would be interested in having you as a guest. Also, my radio network Tough Talk Radio Network is always looking for show guests. Just fill out the form and apply.
3. Social Media
I saved this for last, because it is actually the hardest. I know that it is tempting to think that you can post pictures of cute babies and get tons of clients. That *used* to be the case, but now days you need to do much more. Take the time to reach out and connect with people that you find interesting in social media. Send people who follow you a private message with a gift – or just ask for a time to talk. Connect with them and see how you might work together.
Your Challenge: I challenge you to do at least 3 outreach activities a day for the next 30 days. An activity could be an e-mail to your local women's networking group – or buying tickets to my live event. Or, it could simply be reaching out to someone on Facebook to connect.
What's Next: Want to know what to actually say in the strategy session to bring you sales? Sign up for my free webinar and I'll show you.
