How to Develop Contacts through Advertising

Business contacts can be the lifeline that helps you grow and develop your business. You can acquire contacts in any number of ways. One way you may be overlooking is the contacts you make through your advertising efforts. Take those contacts and turn them into customers.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Develop an advertising campaign that encourages people to sign up for something. Offer a free gift for everyone, or offer a larger prize for one person.
2. Set a time limit on the advertising campaign. That way your new contacts feel a sense of urgency to sign up.
3. Compile a list of your new contacts from your advertising campaign. It can be a computer-generated spreadsheet or it can be something you do with pencil and paper. From the sign-up forms, fill out first and last names, business name, phone numbers, email addresses and whatever else you had on the form.
4. Contact the persons who signed up during your advertising campaign. Don't try to sell them anything at this point. Just drop them a letter or email thanking them for their interest. If you send an email, be sure to give them the option to not receive any further emails from you. Remember to remove them from your list if they request it.
5. Follow up the initial contact with a phone call. Take the time to get to know your customer. Again, don't push your business on them. If they have questions, answer the questions in a polite manner.
6. Add any information you gather about your contacts from your initial contact and phone call follow-up to the list you compiled in Step 2. You can use it to develop future reasons to contact these individuals and to eventually make sales.
7. Continue to build your list of contacts through additional advertising campaigns. As long as you treat your contacts as friends, they're going to come to you with their business.