“The people you want to reach the most are the ones who, by default, delete emails” – Seth Godin, author and marketing genius

The average receiver of your prospecting email spends 15 – 20 seconds scanning your written message. That is about 50 words. If you can’t captivate your reader in 50 words – it’s over. At least for that attempt.

Couple that with this statistic: According to several marketing studies, including recent research by LinkedIn, 87% of purchases begin with a referral.

Why then, do we allow our sales reps to write rambling emails to hundreds of potential buyers without ensuring that their efforts will be rewarded?

Networking and Prospecting go hand in hand and there is a proven formula for success, including the fact that you already know everyone you need to know to be successful!

Growing your business requires that you gain more of the right clients and continue to expand in the clients you have. If you want to be intentional about your success, you need to follow these 5 steps:

Step 1: Segment: Identify your top 40 targets that if you had them as clients, they would be game changers for your business.

Step 2: Research. The internet is your friend. You can so easily find out about the company’s strategy, performance, culture, and people. People. In your research, you need to identify the specific person you want to meet within these targeted prospects. So often, this step is missed. You need to have that person or persons identified to effectively move to the next step.

Step 3: Leverage Your Friend Network: Not the 1000+ contacts you have on LinkedIn or Facebook or twitter, but the people in your life who you consider friends. Not acquaintances, but real friends. Everyone has about 100 people that they could put on a list that if asked would not only be willing to help them, but would get great enjoyment from helping them. Stay in touch with the 100 people who matter the most to you the most. And then let them know that you are targeting these 40 clients and specifically these 40 people. Talk to them about your goals and see if they have any ideas or connections that could help you. Business is grown through relationships and trust and referrals. I can’t stress this enough. Your people are they key to your success. Bob Beaudine talks in great detail about this in his book, “The Power of Who!”

“You already know everyone you need to know to be successful”

Step 4: Communicate Value to your Prospects. Use Value Statements. Remember that you have 50 words in a written message. Start with a statement that will tell your prospect exactly the value they will get if they keep reading and consider meeting with you. Don’t start with a message that essentially says “ Hi, I am a salesperson that wants something from you.." You have to start with what you are giving. (WIIFT).

Studies have shown that this value statement should be 20 – 25 words, no more or less. It should begin with an action word and within the first 6 words it should tell them why they should care about your message. Here are a couple of Butler Street examples:

Grow your revenue through 100% client retention. Our proven tools and training will create raving fans out of every one of your customers.

Call today to experience customer loyalty like never before. This simple and proven approach will ensure your client relationships stay strong.

Step 5: Leverage "Social Selling" and Build Relationships. We all know that relationships take time and effort. Business is built on relationships. It takes at least 5 good interactions to get a prospect to buy from you even when it starts with a referral. Be intentional about building a relationship with your prospects. Leverage social triggers. Social tools like LinkedIn, twitter, or Facebook will let you know when a prospect has posted. Use this information to follow-up via social or email. Pass along items of interest to them. The rule of thumb is 7 out of 10 communications should be purely about you giving something to them that they might value. The other 3 can be selling communications, but again see Step 4. Only if it’s in a value message - WIIFT.

Stick with this process and you are guaranteed to grow your business. In fact, any big dream you have can come true by following the same disciplined process.

Butler Street helps companies and their people grow. We can rapidly implement a system of reinforcing activities around these 5 steps. Give us a call. We can be one of your 100 Friends!