One of the biggest mistakes people make when they are eager to generate leads and secure sales is to engage in random tactics. For example, they compose a new email and fire it off to a bunch of prospects, or they pick up the phone and call some people who might be interested in what they’re selling.
Blogging is another great example of a random tactic. Done well, it can position you as a thought leader and help drive traffic to your business website. Done badly, it will just consume a load of your time and not generate any results.
Dismayed and downhearted, these individuals are then resigned to the fact that said tactics don’t work – but the reality is they do if they are supported by a sound strategy.
You have to have a strategy
Before you start any kind of sales push and pick up a phone or hit that ‘New mail’ button, you have to have a strategy. A written (and this is an important point we’ll cover) plan that sets forth your goals/objectives and the steps you need to take to achieve them.
The bottom line is without any set objectives, you’ll end up trying random tactics, which will ultimately prove fruitless. That’s why your goals need to be set before you do anything else.
Also, everything you’re working towards should be written down. It’s no good just having it in your head. You know why? Because you’ll stand a much better chance of hitting them.
But don’t just take my word for it. A study by Harvard Business School revealed that just 3% of people had their goals and plans written down. However, these 3% generated more revenue than the other 97% put together!
Writing your strategy down also provides greater clarity. You’ll find that once you start recording what you want to achieve and how you’re going to do it, you’ll naturally scrutinise and change certain elements. These leads to a more refined plan and a clearer vision.
And it really does work
Now, as a case in point, a solicitor friend of mine came to me because his boss had said that if he brought in more clients, he would get a bonus. The challenge was on…
The first thing him and I did was sit down and record his goals. We then complemented these by identifying who his ideal client was. This then allowed us to figure out what we knew about them and decide how we were going to research them. In other words, we had the makings of a plan.
My friend then went off and began to establish himself online as an expert in his field (which he absolutely was, just not that many people knew at the time). He wrote articles that were published in literature he knew his ideal clients would be reading. He also frequented and became very active in online forums where his ideal clients were hanging out. In a short space of time, he showed that he not only knew a huge amount about the topic in hand, but he also built trust among the people he wanted to potentially sell to.
The outcome of all his hard work was a bunch of new business. And he didn’t just get the bonus he’d been working hard for, he got an equity partnership in the firm.
It underlines that if you set goals, develop a strategy to commit to them and show your ideal clients that you have solutions, you can drive new business. But you must implement your strategy and all the great ideas you’ve developed. Otherwise, it’ll all have been for nothing.
The best part is you’ll often achieve something far greater than you first envisioned.
Did you find this post helpful and insightful? You can afford even more value by booking a free 30-minute strategy call with Dylis.
You’ll come away with not just a high level strategy for your business, but also feeling inspired, renewed and re-energised to drive even more revenue going forward.