Are you one of those people who spend their time and money meeting prospects in coffee shops, thinking that it’s the best strategy to increase sales?
Or do you seem to get a lot of unsolicited messages on LinkedIn to meet up and discuss a new idea or be lured by the promise that a major collaboration is around the corner?
I really hope you’re not.
Unless you are meeting with CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, then it is likely you are only wasting your time, more so if you’re selling a high-ticket product or service.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not here to say coffee is bad or you should abandon networking, I just think there are other ways to generate opportunities that lead somewhere.
In fact, I have made so many rookie mistakes when I was starting my business that I have committed my life to write about them!
I was calling people to set up appointments, driving from one place in the city to another. I thought I was getting somewhere, but in the end, all I had were false hopes and caffeine overdose.
Working from Berlin, we’re now working with bigger clients and more interesting ones and the ugly truth is: the ones who pay the most never met me for coffee. And they made a decision within 10 minutes of Zoom.
So, what went wrong?
For sure, we all know how challenging it is to secure a sales appointment.
But the ugly truth is, if your appointment was easy to set, then it’s likely your prospects are not busy.
If they are not busy, then what does this tell you?
And beware of those who spend their idle time scavenging for Intellectual Property because you will die of a thousand cuts.
While I’m not opposed to giving away free content because content marketing is all about that and I love educating people, that is not the point. The point is, you could have spent your time more constructively by creating an email or SMS strategy instead, then used the spare 30 minutes cuddling your dog.
Personally, I prefer to conserve my energy for what matters most.
Writing this, I remember a 9-figure mentor who once told me, “Your time is very precious, Gia. If I were you, I would use it wisely.”
Doctors and lawyers charge for an appointment because they understand the value of their time (and specialist knowledge), so why will you give your consultation for free? The effort you put in to win a $200 invoice or to nail a $20,000 client is the same, but the quality of conversations and clients you have in the end are worlds apart.
There is a difference between flying Economy Vs Business. Trust me.
Sure, I understand you need to prove yourself when you are new in the business. However, in a sea of freebies and in a world where people’s attention span is shorter than that of a goldfish, how do you stand out?
This is where Inbound Marketing and Marketing Automation comes in.
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– Three Strategies To Increase Qualified Leads For Your Project
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– Top 5 Property Lead Generation Mistakes To Avoid
– How To Stop Fake Facebook Leads?
– How I Use LinkedIn To Attract High Net Worth Clients?
