Question submitted

Chris, How can I get more customers?

Consistently the best way to get new customers is through networking. But why don’t more people actually do networking? We find the answer is because it takes time and consistent effort. In today’s world, we all are trained to want instant results and immediate. Lose 15 pounds in 15 minutes; Grow hair in a weekend; 5 minute meals…are some examples of our instant results world. Just think about it, when someone goes through the “express lane” at the grocery store with over the 15 item limit, we are mad and rolling our eyes! (oh, don’t pretend you don’t do that!)

Networking is by far the best way to get new customers. And the best thing about networking is that when done properly, you can create awesome relationships that can turn into great sources of referrals, repeats, and customers for life. How do I network? Many people make networking way to hard. Start with your circle of influences and make sure you remind them who you are and exactly what you do. That’s as hard as you need to make it.

Let’s define your circle of influence. We define your circle of influence as anybody who knows your name! That is considerably larger than most people’s definition. When we ask the marketplace to define the circle of influence, we tend to get answers like neighbors, co-workers, spouse’s co-workers, friends and family. Something like that. But in reality, the circle is so much bigger than that. When you network think about your circle of influence as more like this:

· Friends
· Family
· Neighborhood
· Vendors you do business with (if you write a check to a vendor, they should be helping your business!)
· Co-workers
· Spouses contacts and circle of influence for spouse
· Spouses co-workers and employment
· The school family where your kids go to school
· Former employers and former co-workers
· Businesses by your office
· Any groups that you belong to (civic groups, chambers, church groups)
· Your associations
· Clients
· Referrals
· Former clients
· Your clients network base

As you can see, you can never run out of networking opportunities. In addition to the above list, in our own business, we network by meeting new people every single day. Think about and ask yourself this: What would my business look like if I just met one new person every single day? For most of us, the answer is obviously that our business would substantially improve. Networking this the best way to grow your business for success in the long-term.