Another Way to
"Meet" Your Ideal Customer
By Allison Babb
In signing up for my
"Small Business Success Ezine", one of my small business subscribers
asked a question (and I'll paraphrase) "Where do I go to meet more
affluent people who are my ideal customers, and how do I turn
affluent prospects into clients?"
Face To Face Is Not the Only Option
That's a great question, however, it
presumes that you must first meet everyone (in person) that you want
do business with. Now eventually, depending on your business, you
may very well meet them in person, but the first introduction to you
does not have to be in person.
A lot of small business owners focus very heavily on face-to-face
meetings to drum up business because we depend so heavily on
networking and meeting people to grow your our businesses.
Networking is great, but it's only a very small portion of our
marketing options. Indeed, showing up where your target market shows
up is a great way to market your business, and I don't discount
that. But that can get pretty labor intensive if it's your only
option for attracting clients and you are also limited by your time.
What if you can reach the same number of people (your affluent
customers) without getting in your car and wasting gas, and without
needing to spend hours and hours in face-to-face meetings. Sound
good? OK....
"Meet" Them By Direct Mail
So let's say your affluent customers live in a certain zip code or
city. And you know that the people you want to serve make $500K+ or
more per year, or $1M plus. You can simply purchase a list of those
exact people and introduce yourself through direct mail. You can
contact 1000 or more of those people with a 42 cent stamp or even a
26 cent postcard.
The key, of course, is in what you say to them via direct mail. It
must be an enticing offer - something that educates them on a topic
they care deeply about. Tap into that major pain or problem, craft
it in an enticing way, and you will meet a whole lot of them.
Learn More About Direct Mail
I would also recommend getting a copy
of Dan Kennedy's book "NO BS Marketing to the Affluent" as it will
give you some insight into all aspects of how to successfully market
to these folks and turn affluent prospects into clients. And while
you're at it, you may want to also pick up "The Ultimate Sales
Letter" especially if if you are stepping into direct marketing with
sales letters and post cards. I read that one cover to cover and it
was worth every penny.
I spend a good portion of my coaching programs on the topic of
direct mail and how to make sure it works because a lot of direct
mail end up in the trash. If you're stepping into that territory, be
sure you are educated on what works so that YOUR email gets
delivered, opened and read.
