3 Tips to Win New Business!
My one to one VIP client in Saudi (Mr M) is a very successful auditor and brilliant at his job. Like so many of my (big four) clients he is technically brilliant, yet when it comes to winning new business in his new senior role, he’s not built up a reputation ….yet!
He wanted my help with making an impact and winning more business in our VIP one to one sessions.
This is exactly what I do when I work one to one. I give execs a voice and the confidence to get out there and be more visible both internally and externally.
My message ….GO PUBLIC! Stop hiding your light under a bushel.
I asked him about speaking at conferences and writing articles and he told me he was “planning on it” but he’d been so busy “delivering, delivering, delivery” has hadn’t had time to work on his BD (business development) activities.
Does this sound familiar to you? Yes, most of my clients find they run out of time to “get out there”. But here’s the thing, if you don’t make “getting out there” a habit, it just won’t happen.
He asked me what my personal top three tips were when I built my own business from scratch after leaving the BBC back in 2011. To be honest, at first, I wasn’t sure this would help him because my media background at the BBC and my business around speaking at conferences and helping execs with their personal impact seemed worlds away from a very structured auditing background.
However, I soon realised, my personal experience was 100% relevant.
These 3 tips can help anyone wanting to increase their credibility, reputation and visibility in their market. So here goes. These tips could help you too.
My personal top 3 tips to win business…
TIP 1 - Word of Mouth. Everyone who sees you is your potential ambassador. If they recommend you, this is the most powerful way to win business.
Remember …
the more you do
the more you do
the more you do!
If you are seen MC-ing or hosting a conference you will be asked to do it again. If you have an article in ‘Audit & Risk’ magazine, you will be asked to write another. If you are speaking at your client’s away-day about efficiency, or cyber security you’ll be asked to do it again by another team….etc…etc…etc..
If you spend 100% of your time ‘delivering, delivering, delivering’ – guess what you’ll be doing next? You guessed it….DELIVERING!
TIP 2 – Public Speaking – when you are seen on a podium or in front of any audience you are immediately seen as the expert and you attract people to you. Also you can kiss 100 frogs instead of one at a time Here’s my Kissing Frogs blog! If you want to delve into that concept further! There’s NO downside to public speaking if you do it well. My clients have ALL been promoted since speaking in public at conferences, away-days, client drinks events, panels and seminars.
You can read all about how to be a brilliant public speaker in my book. Which brings us on to…
TIP 3 – Write. My book Goodbye Glossophobia – banish your fear of public speaking has been a game changer to my business. I hit my yearly targets on Nov 1st (not Dec 31st) in 2019. The book came out of writing regular blogs and articles. My Linkedin exposure is down to my writing. Getting into the habit of writing content that attracts clients has taken me a long time. You can start today! Just start with one post on Linkedin.
You have to start somewhere, be patient. It works.
Writing stories can also be useful for presentations, panel interviews, career chats, articles, posts, or internal seminars.
Writing my stories down has contributed towards my book Goodbye Glossophobia – banish your fear of public speaking and my 60+ blogs and guest articles in places like Audit & Risk Magazine…
Check out my Audit & Risk article below. I thought I couldn’t write before 2014 because I’m semi dyslexic (according to an online adult test). It turns out, writing is just putting thoughts and ideas down on paper. I’m not perfect and my vocabulary could improve, but I do have a voice and I do have stuff to say.
“You can kill the best content if you present it badly,” Esther Stanhope says. The good news, she adds, is that anyone can learn techniques that should ensure they will never be the ones found, Cluedo style, in the boardroom guilty of murdering their latest presentation.
So there you have it.
3 things to win you more business this year….
1 – Word of Mouth – be seen doing the thing you want to be known for
2 – Public speaking – seminars, internal & external events, conferences. Etc… BE VISIBLE!
3 – Write, write, write – share your ideas and thoughts in newsletters, online magazines & Linkedin
If you & your team need a little help getting out there, making an impact, being more visible and creating easy content to be shared in public, give me shout esther@estherstanhope.com I’d love to help. I could help your team brainstorm ideas that will fill 2020 with new business opportunities. Marketing can be much easier than you think. And it doesn’t have to take much time & effort
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Big news. My brand new book is out now. If you hate public speaking or you know someone who does, you’ll love this. Click here for the colour edition!
It even sold out on Amazon.
