The Fourth of July is a celebration of excellence. Every year we celebrate our independence as a nation. Now that the 4th of July is behind us, it’s time to focus on the milestone of excellence for your business.
The Fourth of July is the start of Q3. Half the year is over already. Have you achieved at least half your annual goals yet? If not, here is some great information for you.
Allen Gregory, director for the B2B Power Alliance, aligns authors, speakers, coaches, and consultants to create highly leveraged marketing opportunities. As director, he formulates ideal opportunities for strategic alliances and promotes key collaborations between members. Gregory shares in plain talk, a uniquely simple concept that could sound complicated to many business owners.
Strategic alliances are constantly overlooked by new business owners and seasoned professionals. “Let me give it to you straight. No fluff, no filler, just barebones facts,” says Gregory. “There are 3 things every business consultant ought to know about strategic alliances.”
First, stop wasting money on advertising that you already know, through trial and error, is ineffective. It simply does not work. Most businesses spend much of their time, effort, and money on conventional advertising that proves sporadic and mildly effective results at best. Determine the activities that provide the least return and discontinue them.
The time, effort, and money spent on the standard advertising processes (such as ads in the yellow pages, newspapers, and radio) is wasted when compared with what you could be doing by putting together a strong, self-perpetuating, client referral system. Mark Zuckerberg, the most well-known founder of Facebook, echoes Gregory’s statement on the importance of creating a strong referral process and system. “Nothing influences people more than a recommendation from a trusted friend. A trusted referral influences people more than the best broadcast message. A trusted referral is the Holy Grail of advertising.”
Second, take off your blindfold. When you spend money to advertise your business, are you, in most cases, shooting in the dark. The truth is, you have no idea how effective any of your campaigns are prior to testing them. “Now I’m not one of those people who believe that you shouldn’t set up marketing campaigns and test them. What I’m saying is that the way you do it could be done more effectively than it currently is,” Gregory explains.
Third, focus on the easiest way to get new clients. A large portion of new clients likely come from direct and indirect referrals. That means you need a formal referral system that is effective and works consistently for you.
Do you have this in place? It is not as easy as it seems. You are a busy professional who does not have the time to identify your ideal partners, explain how the process works, gain agreement, and nurture the relationships to make powerful and effective business collaboration. This takes time, energy, and effort.
The B2B Power Alliance helps high end service providers selling to companies and business owners generate more business by working in a spirit of harmony. They believe that competition is obsolete and prove it by the way their business is structured.
Imagine a world where you get all the leads and referrals for your business category. To learn more about the alliance, please visit http://www.b2bpoweralliance.com/apply.