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Technology Industry

Into the Limelight - Industry Trend or Event

Home Office Computing, Feb, 2001 by Steven Van Yoder

Rise above competition by becoming a celebrity in your field

MORE THAN 22 MILLION U.S. HOME-BASED businesses vie for attention from an increasingly discriminating marketplace. But you can gain an edge over the competition by making yourself known as the expert in your field.

Cultivating yourself as an expert gets you in front of the right people, say Paul and Sarah Edwards, authors of Getting Business To Come To You ($19; J.P. Tarcher). "You need to become so well-known that when someone in the right circle needs what you have to offer, your name will either immediately come to mind or should be the first one mentioned [when] they turn to others to find what they need," says Paul Edwards.

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Establishing yourself as an expert distinguishes you in two important ways. First, it lifts you from the ranks of anonymity. Second, your clients will think of you as the unequivocal authority on their needs. As a result, you'll get more business with less effort, command higher fees, and leverage yourself by spreading outward in new directions--whether writing books, giving speeches, or holding seminars and workshops.

The Power of Publishing Writing articles, columns, and books is an important way to establish your credibility with thousands of prospective clients. After you're published, you can mail out reprints of your articles as excellent, low-cost sales tools that replace expensive brochures and newsletters.

The printed word gives you tremendous name recognition, says Kimberly Stansell, owner of Los Angeles-based consulting firm Research Done Write. Her syndicated column, "Bootstrapper's Success Secrets," appears in dozens of entrepreneurial publications, association newsletters, and business Web sites. "Since writing my column, I'm invited to participate in more events and other business opportunities than before," says Stansell. The exposure as an authority has also given her a way to increase her fees.

Getting published is easier than you think. Thousands of publications covering every industry need content that you can write. If you have a good idea tailored to a specific readership, be brave and call the publication to see if it's interested in having you write an article.

The Self-Publishing Route Have you noticed that many highly paid, respected professionals create seminars by self-publishing packaged materials about their products and services? You can establish expertise and generate additional income by developing and publishing your own line of books, booklets, e-books, audiocassettes, special reports, and other products that make your knowledge available to others.

That's how C.J. Hayden, a San Francisco-based professional sales and marketing coach, boosted her career. After years of delivering her "Get Clients Now" seminar program to local audiences, she franchised her ideas and took them national. "I trademarked the name, taped a workshop, and wrote a 50-page workbook," says Hayden, principal of Wings Business Coaching. "Then I created a package so others could produce my program on their own." The popular program helped Hayden land a book deal for Get Clients Now: A 28-Day Marketing Program for Professionals and Consultants ($20; American Marketing Association International).

A Speaker in the House When Robert Middleton moved his marketing consulting practice to Palo Alto, Calif., six years ago, he developed strategies to generate new business. He began by contacting local chambers of commerce, business groups, and organizations likely to be interested in his three-hour marketing workshop. Within months, Middleton made a name for himself in Silicon Valley as a marketing expert, and was able to build a healthy new client list.

Middleton initiates interest with a simple mailing. He sends each group an introductory package about his workshop that includes a cover letter naming other groups that, have sponsored his presentations, a biography, a short description of his suggested talk, and comments from those who have attended his seminars. He now conducts three to five presentations a month tailored to specific audiences.

The goal is to create synergy between your products and services so that each item complements the others. Once you have a package of materials ready to go, you can leverage it by sending it out to business prospects, then use them for "back-of-the-room" sales at your workshops and speeches. Bring materials to trade shows, and send condensed packages out as press releases to publications. Last but not least, get noticed by making sure you're listed in trade association directories.

Technology Industry

Into the Limelight - Industry Trend or Event

Home Office Computing, Feb, 2001 by Steven Van Yoder

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