For years, REALTORS® have been building their SOI (Sphere-of-Influence) from the inside out - one at time. You can't grow like that. You have to grow your SOI from the OUTSIDE IN.
So, how do you find YOUR prospects? If you're like many Solopreneur's, very often your prospects find you. That means that somewhere somehow, someone is talking about you. That someone could be one of your clients, a colleague, or even your web site.
In the marketing business, we call that buzz about us "word of mouth" (WOM) and that's what we all want because the more there are folks saying good things about us, the less we have to do ourselves.
But what if people AREN'T talking about us? What do we do then?
Creating positive WOM about yourself doesn't have to be difficult, time-consuming, or expensive (unless you want it to be, of course). You can get your name out there very quickly, if you know exactly what segment of the population you want to reach, and you know exactly what you want to say when you've got their attention.
Once you've clarified your message (this means you've figured out what one thing you'd tell all your clients if you could speak to them just once), and you know what you want to be known for, you can start that buzz humming.
Here are five ideas to help you get folks talking about you:
1. Start speaking (publicly, that is). As I like to say, the best way to spread the word about what you do is to open your mouth, so prepare a speech that illustrates your expertise and outlines your key message, and start giving it for free at meetings and seminars. No speaking gigs? Start by giving a "Hi, My Name Is..." speech.
2. Teach what you know. Share your knowledge with others at learning centers, in workshops, or in classes. Get organizations to sponsor you, or sponsor yourself. I love to speak as I feel like it's my way of ‘giving back'.
3. Put it in writing. Write an article with the best advice, tips, or information that you have on your area of expertise, and get it published. Start with the article banks on the web, and soon your articles will be published in places you didn't even know existed. If you're feeling confident, approach your local newspapers, or ask your national trade and industry publications if they accept articles.
4. Build your Group 100. Once you're out there talking to your referral partners about the specific clients you help and what they get from working with you, people will start talking about you. The great thing about my Team 100 script is that once your Group 100 members know what to listen for, they start hearing it said. Ever notice how the second you buy a new car, you start seeing them everywhere? That's because you have increased your awareness of that particular car, and this same effect happens once you start building your Team 100 (but in this case, it benefits you!).
5. Spread the word yourself. Send out press releases to the media, a newsletter to your clients and prospects, and notes to your colleagues about all the wonderful things you're doing. People want to know that you've published more articles (or better yet, a book!), been tapped to appear on Oprah, or reached an important milestone in your business, but they might not hear about it unless you tell them!
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