If your elevator speech targets a very specific group or particular industry, you can easily ascertain the organizations that are affiliated with that industry. Note that when referring to organizations, I include small and large businesses, either privately or publically owned; institutions such as hospitals, schools, and universities; associations, civic entities and other not-for-profit groups; and ad hoc groups such as councils and commissions. For example, if you coach people in the Maryland aerospace industry, your list would include companies like BAI Aerosystems and Emergent Space Technologies.
Exercise #6: The online places my target client visits
In the next exercise, build your online presence by examining where your target population likely visits.
Putting the Lists to Work.
Exercises 1A and 1B give you an indication of your readiness to pursue hunting leads and making contact with potential clients. Regardless of the extent to which you are ready to build an audience, you can start your lead hunt slowly (passively) or with full intention (aggressively).
The passive lead hunt is analogous to sitting in a deer stand and waiting until a deer comes along. Thought goes into strategically placing the stand based on information about the deer’s habits, increasing the odds that a deer will be within eyesight of the stand. The previous exercises in this workbook provide you with the answer to “Where are my client’s trails so that I know where to build my stand?” Those places might provide a communal space for you to post information about your services. Newsletters, local newspapers, and flyers that are placed and offered free provide low cost advertizing, in addition to solicitation for articles and stories that might enhance your visibility.
Casual conversations in these places might actually turn up the name of a person or organization who is seeking your services or who knows of someone who could use your services. Analyze your lists compiled from exercises 3-6 to find real world (and virtual world) places where there are communal bulletin boards, spaces for meetings, or business card exchanges posing opportunities for you to share information about who you are and what you do.
You can also be more assertive in the use of your lists. Seeking out the client requires using database mining and sleuthing skills—stretching, searching and speculating on who might need you. The goal of identifying all the descriptors of your potential clients in the previous exercises is to enable you to build a list a substantial list of individuals or organizations that could benefit from the services that you provide—or who have access to and/or information about the communities of people who would benefit from your expertise.
The list of individuals and organizations become your first points of contact for making connections and establishing relationships to build your market. By pursuing these contacts you will increase the probability of connecting with your market and building your practice.
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