Are you seeking a magic bullet that will solve all your sales problems and drive customers your way? Business would be so easy if we could find a quick way to find and land new customers everyday. To have sustainable and continuous success in the business to business market, you must realize that rainmaking is a never ending process.
Women entrepreneurs seem to excel in this area of rainmaking. They like to take time to build, nurture and develop long-term relationship and thrive on delivering value. What are some of the rainmaking secrets you can integrate into your daily business life that will help you continue to make it rain forever. (We LOVE the rain in Arizona)
Create a plan on how you build, nurture and develop long-term relationships with your prospects and customers.
Here are some ideas for each of those areas to help improve your results:
Build Relationships:
Find a referral partner in a complementary business that serves your common target market. You can leverage this relationship because you can both give and receive referrals from this person. This will provide amazing reciprocal support and new business.
Find the right organizations or associations that your target customers congregate. Become a leader in that organization, get involved and give back. It will be an amazing opportunity to strengthen your rainmaking muscles.
Follow up with people you meet so that you can stay in touch on a regular basis and explore opportunities to do business together.
Nurture Relationships:
Ensure that you nurture your relationships with your prospects, customers and referral partners. Each can play a part in driving business your way times three instead of you doing all the work!.
Create innovation opportunities to help your prospect and clients to deliver value like inviting them to a fancy luncheons or introduce them to a potential prospect for them.
Follow up to close their business. If you have asked the right questions and they have a need, your sales cycle will be significantly be reduced and you will close more business faster.
Develop Relationships:
Thank your prospects and customers for their business. Ensure the thank you is meaningful to the client. Don't just send them something you like, find out what customer's think is special. They will become repeat customers and wonderful referral sources for life.
Learn more about their business by attending industry events and become more of an expert and thought leader in their industry.
Connect via all the social media tools to stay in touch and deliver value to clients as frequently as possible.
Overtime, your magic bullet will become the rainmaking process you put in place for yourself. You will reap many rewards by building, nurturing and developing better and deeper relationships with your clients.