Have you ever wondered how to build your business, are you perplexed on what to-do?

Have your clients and friends ever said, “If there’s anything I can do to help you, let me know”?

If you’re like most people, you aren’t prepared to accept help at the moment it’s offered. You let the opportunity slip by because you haven’t given thought to the help you might need.

When help is offered, it’s to your advantage to respond by stating a specific need. Your clients and friends want you to succeed. They truly like you and want to be associated with a winner.

Don’t let the next opportunity from others, to help, slip through your fingers!

Being prepared with some simple requests can make a real difference in the success of your business.

Here are a couple of ways your clients and friend can help you promote your business:

a)Referrals – The kind of support you’d like to get from your contacts is referrals—the names of specific individuals who need and want your products and services. They can also give prospects your name and number. Referrals should be asked for when you finish a project or sale. People who have been referred usually spend more money, they will buy more often, and they are loyal. They are also much easier to deal with, and because they were referred by a friend or a colleague, they are usually less demanding

b)Introduce you to prospects – Your contacts can help you build new relationships faster by introducing you in person to people they think need your products and services. They can provide you with key information about the prospect. They can also tell the prospect what they liked about your products and services. One lunch time meeting set up by a client, yielded two immediate new clients and over four referrals within the next year. All this accomplished with a simple introduction.

c)Testimonials – By providing a testimonial, clients can share with people what they’ve gained from using your products or services. Testimonials build trust. Whether your customers are raving about what your product has done for them or about the great service you gave they are telling your visitors first and foremost that they had a positive experience with your products and company. Testimonials carry more weight and are more believable! 78% of consumers today trust peer recommendations – only 14 % trust advertisements! So where are you spending your marketing dollars? Total cost to add testimonials to your marketing message – zero dollars!

d)Display your Literature – Clients and friends can display your products and services in their office and home. If these items are displayed well—such as, on a counter or bulletin board in a waiting room—visitors will ask questions or read the information. Some may even take your promotional materials and display them in other places, increasing your visibility.

e)Re-purpose Information – Your clients may be able to get information about you and your business published on their blog, in a newsletter, or mention you in Social Media like Twitter and Facebook. This strategy will also help with back-links to your website raising your profile with Google.

Knowing how to match your marketing needs with the right sources is key to obtaining the type of help you need. But remember — it’s a two-way street. Helping your clients and friends achieve their goals goes a long way and will help you Build Your Business.

Donald Robichaud is the President of FloodLight Consulting and can be reached at 250-768-9415