Give before you receive

In the Public Sector it is very difficult to associate with members, officers and other personnel. Invitations to events, free lunches and gifts of any description are a no no! However, even in the strictest of circumstances it is possible to get your message across. You are still at large to ‘warm’ prospects up!

We have the means to move people from being perfect strangers to us and our services to becoming eventual ‘Raving Fans’ of our cause.

This process normally starts with some form of ‘visibility’ created via one or more forms of promotional activity. If you as an industry professional attend all the most relevant industry or sector events,  you volunteer to help a relevant body or institution or merely focus your promotional investment to be displayed at the appropriate places and time, then you will stand a very good chance of being recognised as a valued member of the construction community.

Nil visibility produces no new contacts and no opportunities. So it is crucial that you identify who your prospective clients are and find ways to help them. Often this will entail some form of education. This could take the form of a seminar, breakfast meeting or a demonstration. On each occasion you must explain the benefits you can provide and how it will help them to do save time, money or some other important issue.

Find ways to help prospective clients to face up to the challenges before them. If possible or practical show them that there is another and probably a better way to achieve their objectives i.e. simpler, faster, cheaper, less risky and with more chance of success. By having taken the time to research those in order to find out their real needs and having supplied them with highly relevant information you will stand out from the competition.

So why not:

• Host a free open house;
• Sponsor an industry event and supply free tickets;
• Put on a free seminar on a topic of interest;
• Provide information on issues relevant to them;
• Offer a free trial of your service or product;
• Publish and distribute helpful information and reports.

If you need any help, you know a man who can.