We all have dormant prospects. You met them once and they seemed interested, but timing wasn’t right, or some similar excuse. It was a good meeting, but we knew nothing was going to happen anytime soon. We promised to stay in touch, but didn’t.
Here’s a thought; build content that you can email to that ever growing list of prospects (or past customers) on some regular basis. It shouldn’t be weekly – that’s annoying. It shouldn’t be 6 months – that’s not enough.
Content isn’t always “we have a new product and you should buy it”. However, announcing a new product can be good content as long as it isn’t every mailing. It doesn’t have to have a “call to action”. You are subtly reminding your readers that you remember them and they will remember you.
Better subject matter is that with a broader appeal. For example, industry news. XYZ Company was acquired by ABC and that means….to our industry. Or, ACME Company just introduced a new product that works well with our 88TY product. Broader still “the federal government just approved…” and that’s good for all of us because…
Making others aware of newsworthy topics is very good content. Upcoming legislation is full of impactful items for small and medium sized businesses. Pick out a few tidbits, site the source and send them out to your mailing list. It gives you credibility and makes you look professional. What’s better than that?
Wondering where to find content? LinkedIn is a great source and sources are usually sited. The same goes for industry trade associations. Check out their websites. This takes a little time and a little effort, but will pay dividends in the long term.
The key here is to be consistent (delivered monthly on the same day), worthy of reading, content rich and not too long. For example, this Pathfinder newsletter is sent the second Tuesday of every month, usually around 300 words, contains sales topics of interest and keeps me relevant in the minds of my subscribers. I use Mailchimp to deliver my newsletter, there are many more and it isn’t expensive. Give it a try, it works.
Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin executive and sales leader coaching
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