The "Unwritten Rules" of Solicitation, In Writing

business beggar

At least a half-dozen times each week I receive an email or social media message about some service some company is offering that I should be recommending to my clients. Some come from people I do business with currently and others I wouldn't recognize if they came up and bit me. Seems to me that the unwritten rules of solicitation need to be written down for those who didn't get the memo.

 



Lead with Trust and Familiarity - Unless we have formed a social relationship online over-time or in-person networking don't ask me to sell your product.  My reputation is important to my having happy clients. If I was to recommend every product thrust in my face on Twitter they wouldn't trust me. You need to build that same trust with me first. Consider giving me a demo or same version of your product to try myself first. I will know if it's something my clients can use.

Consider Sending Me Business First - Nothing builds loyalty better than
qualified leads. People who send me good potential opportunities are top-of-mind when I need to outsource or refer. Those who have sent me time-wasters are pretty low on my priority list. But, those who only ask for business and never reciprocate are at risk of getting placed in the junk-mail bin permanently.

Never Use Skype to Solicit - Skype and GTalk are very convenient ways to communicate quickly and with businesses that are outside your country. Just because I'm available don't abuse our connection by wasting my time with your "latest product special". People connect on Skype for business to do business, not open the door to solicitations. A particular vendor I once considered using would Skype me under different circumstances and then quick directly ask "if I had any business for him." What do you think my answer was? He sure made it easy to cull my list of Skype connections.

We are all scrambling for more business today. Anyone who says they can't keep up with demand is at the very least elaborating or flat out lying. Don't waste anyone's precious time with your sales agenda if you haven't taken time to get to know them. Think first what you can do for them that they would value. Then, you may have earned time to discuss your business needs.

By the way - I plan to send this link to anyone sending me unsolicited garbage in the future. Feel free to do the same. We can officially distribute the memo!


Got Conversionsdevin hester?

If you are not reaching your revenue goals you need to take a look at your lead generation.

  • Are you getting the right leads?
  • Are you getting enough of them?
  • Are you keeping them on your site?
  • Are they doing what you want them to when they're there?
All these questions must be addressed and you need to find where your campaign is missing the mark. The answers are in the 2011 Online Lead Generation Playbook.





Comments
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Eric Gruber  - Article Marketing Expert     |173.61.53.xxx |2010-09-13 18:43:14
Great article Paula! My favorite is when people email me to promote their product when it's totally unrelated to article marketing! People have to learn to take the time and get to know the person you're trying to connect with.

Besides, learning more about the person you're trying to connect with, people need to prove they are a thought leader and show that they're expertise is worth listening to. That's why I started my Article Marketing Experts LinkedIn Group. Now, internet marketers, small business owners, authors, speakers and other marketers can see my value through the articles I provide and the conversations I engage in. From there, I then ask those in my group to connect after they have been members for a couple of weeks and see the information I provide.

That's why people need to start writing articles and post them on their blog, post it in LinkedIn groups as well as their own and submit it to top websites, ezines and article directories. For help writing articles, check out my free article templates at:
http://www.TryMyFreeArticleTemplates.com

And, see Paula, I'm taking your advice and offering a free sneak preview!
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