Plan a breakfast or luncheon, and invite ten friends and colleagues.  At the meeting announce the opening of your business or provide an update to these people so they are re-educated to what you are doing these days.

Invitations should go out 2 – 3 weeks in advance with a follow up phone call the week before.  Please remember the rules of the “Do Not Call” laws. For a reminder please visit the Do Not Call Registry.

Allow a Question and Answer period so that you can connect with them around your business.  At the end of the luncheon, send folks away with a nice gift ensemble…something very inexpensive but that they will remember.  Some examples:

• One small bag of foot soap

• One sample of chocolate

• One recipe of your choice printed on a nice card

• One miniature book of famous quotes

• One complimentary consultation session card for their use or to pass on to a friend

This lunch can be at your home or at a restaurant.  The purpose is NOT to sell, but simply let people know what you are up to and who your ideal clients are. If you can guarantee a solid audience you may be able to get a restaurant to sponsor or co-sponsor the event with you.

Total Cost:  Approximately $20.00 per person for breakfast or lunch plus the gift.

This one technique can result in clients on the spot…if you position the event in a way that invites visitors to get to know you and/or to refer others to you.

Cindy Morris shares her technique:
“I schedule a monthly Women’s Networking event and invite all the women I know.  It is a brown bag breakfast (sending a signal that it would be a short meeting).  There are no dues (other than a donation for the room rental), no commitments, no speaker.

We introduce ourselves and let others know what we have to offer or need.  I usually do a quick marketing lesson (like the ones here!)
All contacts are handled by e-mail so it’s a very small time commitment on my part.  Since I’m at the center of it and am the primary contact it gives my business great recognition.  There’s been an incredible amount of info sharing, business contacts sharing, hiring amongst each other and referrals passed.”

Be invitational today!

Alicia

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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 6th, 2008 at 2:41 pm and is filed under Networking, Business Planning. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.