NP Business Tip: Networking Success

Marketing your business or practice is an ongoing, never ending process, and believe it or not, it's your number one job. No marketing means no clients and patients which means no business. There are several avenues and methods you can use and networking is one of the oldest and effective ways of building your business.

When you attend any event, be it a local PTA meeting, a softball game or an educational conference, you should attend being prepared to network. Not only do you want your marketing materials (business cards, flyers, brochures, etc), but you need to have a plan firmly in mind and a list firmly in hand. Here are some tips to get you started.

• Plan ahead of time what your message will be and make sure your message is appropriate to the venue. You will want your message to be succinct -- clearly state what it is you do, who you work with and what makes you different from others.
• Find out what others are doing. Take an interest in your colleagues, other parents, etc. You can learn a lot about what their needs are, thus giving you further information for your own business building strategies.
• Identify the type of event and what your objectives are. For example: let's say you are attending the local PTA meeting in order to market the pediatric portion of your practice. You will not want to talk about your elderly clients you see in the nursing home.
• If at all possible, identify any key players that may be the decision-makers you want to contact. Create a "hit list" - a list of the names of people you want to contact. Writing this down, it helps to solidify your intention.
• Create a reason for people to contact you. For example, do you have something special going on at your practice? An open house? A special on sports physicals?
• In every single incidence, follow up is crucial and something most people are not doing The fact you do, will stand out in their mind. You can do this. You can do this through a phone call, e-mail, or by sending them a greeting card.

Share this Article

del.icio.us     Digg     Reddit     Facebook     StumbleUpon     GoogleBookmark     Technorati     Furl

Related Articles

·  Progress Notes Issue 33: Red Flags Rule ·  Progress Notes Issue 32: Plan Now, Avoid Paying High Taxes Later ·  ProgressNotes, Issue 31: Preparing Your Business for Your Absence ·  Progress Notes Issue 30: 7 Steps to Getting It Done