To grow sales, you have to play the numbers game. No matter what industry you’re in, no matter what business you’re in… sales, prospecting, funneling, and marketing… it’s all a numbers game. Here’s the key – knowing your numbers helps you to better play the game.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Fishing with a wide net?” I really like to use this phrase because of the visual it provides. What I mean by “Fishing with a wide net” is the number of people you can touch with your message, with your business. How many people out there can really learn about you in one shot?
You can trade time for money. Or, you can have time and money work for you. There are multiple ways to fish with a net, but my favorite is networking.
The Power of Networking
You might not know this about me, but I’ve built a 7-figure business and two 6-figure businesses 100% off of word of mouth and networking. I want to share with you what I did and give you the information you need to hit the ground running. I want to help you cast your net out there so that you catch tons of fish to help with your numbers game while you are pulling it in.
Because, let’s face it… it does not matter what business you are in, it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in… the more people who know you exist, the more people who will enter your funnel, and the more people that will do transactional business with you. The bottom line is that you only have so much time because you are a solopreneur, entrepreneur, or small business owner. You need to focus on maximizing every one of your efforts to the fullest.
The ⅓ Rule
I live my business by the ⅓ rule and so should you.
- ⅓ of your business should be focused on marketing your business (where you go out and let the world know about you).
- ⅓ of your business should be focused on the operations of your business (doing the voodoo that you do).
- ⅓ of your business should be focused on the administration of your business (invoicing, receivables, etc.)
Many of you have ⅓ of your business easily covered. For example, I hire out my admin and some of my marketing. This allows me to put even more time into my operations and the marketing areas that only I can do, like networking.
Casting a large net allows us to hit a broader scale of people, a bigger audience.
Before you can Network…
Before you even get started with networking, you HAVE TO identify your target market. So, what is your target market? Is it a business or a person?
If it’s a business… what size is it? What type of industry? Get super-specific. Get so specific that someone could almost picture a building. And don’t be afraid to name names. This will help to trigger ideas for expansion.
If it’s an individual…. What is their age group? What is their gender? What is their socio-economic status? Where do they live? Where do they eat? Where do they shop? Get that specific!
The biggest mistake salespeople, entrepreneurs, and small business owners make is they think the more general they are, the bigger they leave their market and the more people they can sell to. I can not emphasize enough how dangerous that is.
Get specific. Get to know your target market! Then, get networking WITH them.