The Water Faucet and Your Business
When talking to business professionals about how they grow their business I often think of the simplicity of a water faucet and how it works. How nice would it be to be able to go to the water faucet, turn the handle, and out would flow a new client?
Before the convenience of the water faucet our ancestors needed to find a stream or lake to harvest water. Some made a daily trip to the water source to collect the day’s water. As time advanced, so did technology. Drilling wells and pumping the water became more normal. As rural communities became more populous, above ground water silos, aqueducts, and reservoirs became the norm. Connecting of pipes from the water sources gave us the advent of the water faucet in our homes.
The harvesting of water can be analogous to harvesting clients. Most of us start with the notion that we are hunters. We go to networking meetings to meet people who can refer business or become our clients. We buy brochures, post signs, and buy media advertising to collect prospects. Some, rather than engage the prospect, will often store them avoiding the follow up needed to create a client. We dig deep into these networking groups, joining and growing them while we allow our businesses to lie fallow.
Assuming all things being equal, when we compare the old way of gathering water and the new (the water faucet,) what is the common denominator? The answer is TIME. Hunting for water takes TIME. Turning the handle on the faucet to retrieve the water takes less TIME. The water faucet is a SYSTEM of stored water, pumps, and pipes which allows the water to flow QUICKLY and EASILY through the faucet, thus saving us TIME to harvest water. The same can happen with gathering clients. Creating a system of storage, lead pumping, and pipes will allow you to harvest new clients quickly.
To harvest prospects we need to have a clearly defined target market. When a realtor says, “My target market is the zip code 92008,” that target market is too broad. When a realtor says, “My target market is first time home buyers,” I now know who in my data base to introduce them. When we are this well defined, we have now identified a PURE TARGET MARKET. With the new home buyer we can harvest these people at youth sporting events (Little League, Youth Soccer) or at an apartment complex where we can advertise economically. Our messaging can be pointed to the first time home buyer.
Once we have harvested a number of prospects, we need to deliver to our reservoir. Many in business liken this process to the funnel. I often think of harvesting grapes which go in the top of the funnel. At the bottom comes our wine. So, in this case, a prospect is piped to the top of the funnel and comes out the bottom as a client. Most of my prospects stop there. If the grape stays a grape, move on to the next grape. When you create an active piping system you find ways of providing valuable information on a regular frequency.
Many of my clients provide their prospects a pipe line of information with results oriented value every 30 days. They do this in the form of an article that highlights the results they deliver to their clients and prospects. This system allows those who are already engaged with someone other than you to start to build a new relationship, discovering that you are an expert in your field. When they are ready to make a change in providers of your product or service, they will become your client.
To make your life simple create a system to measure and manage your business. Much like the water faucet ,your life will be much easier when you can go to your system and out comes a new client!
Gerry Rose runs INTEGRITY Networking Solutions in Oceanside, CA. He works with people in business who want to attract the right prospects and generate more referrals. More than 10,000 businesses have been presented the INTEGRITY Networking Solutions system in San Diego, Riverside, and Orange Counties.
Gerry’s stimulating presentation Unlimited Prospects, Unlimited Referrals is ideally suited for small business owners, home-based businesses, and independent professionals who want clearer direction and want to attract more prospects, develop dynamic systems, and strengthen their companies’ accountability. Gerry does one on one consulting, conducts a range of keynote speeches from thirty minutes to full-day education workshops.
His book series, Unlimited Prospects, Unlimited Referrals, are available on the website, www.integritysd.com.
Gerry has more than 20 years’ experience directing business owners how to grow their businesses. He is a networking dynamo. Those who know him will assure you that he does a great job of bringing people together—which is why he started Integrity.
Involved with networking organizations since 1984, Gerry is a Distinguished Toastmaster, a member of Toastmaster International, and has chaired numerous chambers of commerce and non-profit organizations.
Are you truly committed to attracting the right prospects and generate more referrals? If so then contact INTEGRITY Networking Solutions for availability and information. You can contact Gerry by mail at 1610 Quiet Hills Drive, Oceanside, CA 92056. Direct dial (760) 439-4623; e-mail to gerry@integritysd.com. For more information, go to www.integritysd.com
