For many marketers the gold is in the list. Building a large and effective contact list is one of the more important activities your business can undertake. The more your message is heard, the more you can ultimately sell. In this post I’ll explain how networking can help you grow your list.
If there’s one concept that has helped me grow my business, it’s networking. Nearly every person I meet is a potential business contact. Any time you meet with a business organization you can meet a slew of new contacts. There are numerous organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Support Centers, specialized industry groups, charitable organizations and small business clubs that meet to share ideas. All you need to do is exchange business cards then add the addresses to your contact lists. However, it’s important that you ask permission to add them to your mailing list.
Each time I meet a new contact, I usually send a quick email thanking them for their business card and the contact. I usually start by recapping our previous conversation then I ask for permission to add them to my contact list. I’ve found that it’s helpful to establish common ground through reminding them of where we met and only then asking for their ears.
Next time I’ll talk about some other places to grow your lists.
