Let me share this: Phones are ringing. Clients are calling. You've got more work than you can handle. So you should take care of current customers and put marketing on a back burner until things slow down, right? Sorry, now is not the time to relax because one day in the not-too-distant future those phones may go silent; customers may stop calling. Here's a fact of small-business life: You need to keep marketing continuously to keep your sales pipeline full. Whether you're a carpenter or a consultant, own a law firm or a Real Estate Professional, you've always got to work to keep a steady stream of customers.
When you're really busy is the best time to market and network. Just like dating, when you're popular, you attract more suitors. But are you swamped and can't get away from the office? Are you even turning away clients? Yikes! I cringe when I hear an entrepreneur say, "I'm not taking on any new clients at this time." Or, "I'm not looking for any new customers; I've got more work than I can handle." Everyone I've ever heard say that is now out of business. Inevitably, you will lose customers even if you're doing everything right. Client attrition is a natural part of any business, especially small businesses… Even in the midst of the chaos of a full workload, try to determine when your backlog of customers is likely to run out. It pays to be a little bit paranoid. So keep working on creating a sales pipeline, or one day you won't be busy at all.
I understand if now is not a good time. All I want to do is schedule a few minutes minutes where you can be expecting my call and I will show you exactly how our websites generate a return on investment. If it makes sense, we can talk more. If you still are not interested then we can shake hands and part as friends. No worries and worse case scenario, you got some free information from me. I just want you to be able to make an informed decision. How is tomorrow at…?
*** If agrees to talk - Go to the 4 questions
REMEMBER: Whenever you schedule a follow up conversation prior to going into the interview step, be sure to follow the 4 Questions approach to go a little deeper into the conversations and to build rapport and create a bigger sense of “need” to show up to the appointment. Prospects need a reason to talk to you, otherwise you just help them accomplish the goal of getting you off the phone.