Notice what books, magazines, and newspapers people carry. Say you own an interior design company and you see someone reading a magazine like "Better Homes and Gardens." Maybe you've read an article in that magazine that you can discuss with this person.

Comment on article or headline and try to get a conversation going. Be sure to ask person what they do to discern whether this is a business contact or a potential customer.

Be careful about appearing to be an opportunist. Express genuine interest in what your contact's opinions are, and listen closely to what they say to find your "in point."

Remember, not everyone will be receptive to your efforts. If you limit your networking to approaching random people on street, then chances are you will be rejected more often.

Networking at conferences, workshops, and organization meetings like Chamber of Commerce are bound to elicit more results. But never ignore a chance to simply get out on street and talk to regular people. You never know; you might gain your best customer while waiting for bus.

If, for example, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays are weaker in traffic, these sure wouldn't be best days to send out your newsletter or offers. They would likely end up competing more fiercely for attention because fewer of your prospects are online. This increases possibility of a *quick scan* or even a *delete* when your prospects get to their fuller mailboxes later.

How about time of day? Are your leads visiting more heavily around lunch (11 am to 2 pm) and dinner (5 pm to 8 pm), for example? Is there a fairly consistent pattern? If so, you certainly don't want to send your offer outside of these key time ranges. Again, to do otherwise would be to unnecessarily increase your mailbox competition.

LOOK AT YOUR SALES STATS TOO

Now, take a look at days and times of your SALES. Do you see a pattern here as well? If you do, it can be quite a valuable lesson.

When are your prospects in buying mood? What days? And what times during day? Clearly, you want to make contact at their most receptive times.

So, be ready when your prospects are. Be in right place at right time, ACCIDENTLY ON PURPOSE, to increase your response rates. Study your site stats and coordinate those marketing efforts within your control (particularly when you send out your ezine) to coincide with *peak prospect receptiveness* for your particular business.