Question #4 - Where do your visitors come from?

Which ads are sending you leads or visitors? Which websites and email newsletters are referring visitors to you?

Question #5 - Where are your SALES coming from?

At first glance, this seems to be similar to "Where do your visitors come from", but it's not. Website A may refer a thousand visitors and give you 0 sales. Website B can refer a hundred people and 20 buy from you. You'll want to find more Website B's.

Question #6 - What measurable outcome would you like from your marketing efforts?

Lots more sales! Of course. But how do you hit this target? What are you aiming for so you can get more sales?

You can't hit what you're not aiming for. Would you like more visitors, more leads, and more phone calls from people who want what you have to offer? Or, if you're already getting plenty of inquiries, would you like to close more sales? Or would you like more current customers to buy again?

By evaluating what you have been doing, you can get on track to marketing better and building sales.

2. When you meet people, use time to gather information from them, including: • Primary concerns about their business • Problems they want solved • Unmet business needs. • Areas where solutions you provide overlap with their needs • Their contact information

3. Continue to expand your network. Whenever you make a contact, ask for referrals to other prospects.

4. Once you have this information, enter it into your database or contact manager. - Build Relationships 1. People have short memories. Follow-up after your initial contact and then stay in touch with your network on a regular basis. If you let more than a month go by without making contact they’ll forget that you exist and that you are best person to solve their financial, legal, human resource, design, or other problems.

You’ll want to make personal contact with some people on your prospect list, but in most cases, a letter, newsletter or ezine will do job. Use merge function in your software to personalize your mailings.

2. Demonstrate value of your expertise or products by sending prospects and clients an idea or suggestion they can use right away. You could present this in an article you’ve written, or one you’ve read. Your contact will then associate you with problems you solve. - Pull information from prospects and clients to grow your network, stay in touch and regularly demonstrate value of your products and services.

Networking should be one of core marketing tactics of most independent professionals and small business owners. Use client-centered networking to lessen your reliance on costly and time consuming cold calling elemarketing and advertising. Over time, this business building strategy will reward you with a steady stream of new clients.