I have a good friend, Dale, who is a talented quantity surveyor. It’s important for him to keep his name and profile in front of his target prospects - architects.
The trouble is he doesn’t much love public speaking and his target prospects don’t get too revved up about his subject matter. Sure they need him, but they wouldn’t exactly stampede across the street to attend a quantity surveying event.
At the risk of offending a fair number of our readers, he’s the equivalent of a bookkeeper in my world. Hey, I love what you guys do, but it’s not necessarily the stuff of sizzling presentations.
I think you get the picture. The dilemma of course is that staying on a target prospect’s radar is pivotal to success. Otherwise you risk dropping off the shopping list and being left on the shelf.
Dale’s solution was to look at what keeps architects awake at night and the hottest hot button was getting more clients. In other words, architects needed help with their marketing.
So, Dale now runs regular tailor-made gatherings where he invites marketing experts to share their tips and knowledge.
Dale supplies the venue and the sandwiches and his architect target prospects leave with new skills and masses of positive karma.
Better still, the speaker doesn’t expect a fee as she’s just been exposed to a room full of potential clients. It’s what they call a win-win.
So whether you’re in Dale’s position, or are the expert looking for an audience, teaming up could be an effective way to maximise your strengths and minimise your weaknesses.
Has this strategy to target prospects worked well for you? Are you an expert looking for an audience, or would you like someone to talk to your group? Let the flirting begin.
“ Dale’s solution was to look at what keeps architects awake at night and the hottest hot button was getting more clients. ”
Robert Gerrish is one of the Flying Solo crew and supports soloists as a coach and consultant. He presents at conferences and networking events and bangs on to the media or anyone who listens, about all things micro. Along with Sam Leader and Peter Crocker, he's the co-author of Flying Solo – How to go it alone in business.
