1. Make it easy to join your mailing list. - Convert visitors to websites into leads by having a prominent sign-up form on your home page and on every page. Most E-mail marketing packages include copy-and-paste code to make this easy. If someone has to go looking for a way to get your blog feed, newsletter or seminar invitations, they probably aren't going to sign up.
2. Talk about what the client gets, not what you do. The more a prospect has to think about how your services or products relate to their needs, the less likely they are to engage. Make it clear that they get X when they work with or buy from you.
3. Follow up. - Woody Allen said it and it is true - 80 percent of success is showing up. That means responding to email, phone calls and referrals. Document your follow-up process completely so that everyone in your company understands the timeframe and expected response.
4. Include a quote. What are the nice things your customers say about you? Write them down. Then ask customers if they mind if you use the quote in your letters and website (they probably won't). Have quotes in your proposals, your website, your newsletters and your social media sites.
5. Ask for the referral. When customers say "Thank you," or "Great job" is the time to ask for referrals. A simple "we're always looking for more great customers like you. Do you know anyone else in X area or Y business that you could introduce us to?" Eight or nine out of 10 times the answer will be "not that I can think of right now"; but one or two out of 10 gets you a lead and it always gets them thinking of you in the future.
6. Have a plan - a written plan. Whether there is a marketing calendar or just a list of things you want to do and the timeframe written on the back of napkin, write it down so you can reference it again.
7. Use your email signature line. - Do this to promote an event, or a special offer or just to get people to join your mailing list. If you send 20 emails a day, that is 100 offers you put out there every week. If there are 10 people in your company doing the same, then it is 1000 offers. And it costs you nothing.
8. Get listed in Google. - Go to google.com/lbc and get your business on the map (literally). For Free. Bing and Yahoo have similar services that are worth spending 5 minutes to do.
