Client Magnets Official Blog

Have you ever tried your hand at gardening?  Some spots are so perfect for gardens, the ground is fertile and ready for seeding, the amount of sunshine is just right.  Other spots are next to shade trees, they don’t get enough light, planting is so difficult with roots in the way, and nothing seems to grow there.   If you had to focus on one area to cultivate, which makes more sense? The fertile ground or the shady spots?  Obviously it would make more sense to focus your gardening efforts in the fertile area.

Now consider your business – which area would make more sense to focus on for building the business?  The fertile ground or the shady spot?  Of course, it makes more sense to build sales on fertile ground, the area that’s ready, willing and able to take on your efforts.  But how do you find the fertile ground in business?

Building a list of potential clients, people who are open and receptive to buying your product or service, is simply identifying the fertile ground of your business.  But, just like the first steps toward planting a garden are the most labor intensive, so it goes for your business.  But of course, at the start is the most important time to start building the list.

Certainly if you’re just getting started in your business you need to focus on the activities that bring in the revenue, but this is an instance in which you need to think long term.  For those of us with smaller businesses, and for those of us flying solo, we tend to focus on the “time is money” issue.  This is one area in which at first it will seem like too much effort for too little return, but we need to think not only for the long term, but take a more multi-dimensional approach.

Think about who would be on your list.  Obviously someone who’s shown some interest in what you’re selling.  So, wouldn’t it be safe to assume that they’re going to be more receptive to a marketing effort if they’ve already shown a level of interest?  It would certainly make more sense to focus on the list rather than a more ‘shot in the dark’ approach of cold calling.

So, of course, list building is essential for focusing your selling efforts, but it’s also going to give you an insurance policy for your business.  Who among us hasn’t had a lean patch in their sales?  It happens to the best of us.  With your potential client list, you have the opportunity to reach out and make a quick sale to a whole group of people who you know, just by the fact that they’re on your list, are receptive to your product.  It’s nice to have that to fall back on in difficult times.

Not only can your list get you through a dry spell, but it offers the seeds for launching your next product or your next offer.  It’s what we call the low hanging fruit, in keeping with the planting theme of the day.  Which would you rather pick the fruit that’s easy to reach, or the fruit in which you’re going to have to put more effort into the task?  It’s the same fruit, mind you – just one happens to be less labor intensive.

If you’ve not yet started building a list, I suggest you begin immediately, and if you have a list, keep it growing.  Just like planting, it may not always pay off right away, but it will down the road.  And just like planting, you’ll wish you had started sooner!

Bernadette Doyle is a small business marketing expert. Get more tips and advice at http://www.clientmagnets.com

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