Your time is always at a premium so what can you do in an hour or less this week to keep your promotional efforts rolling along?
Are you or your golf club a member of a meet-up group, Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Organization or other business networking group? If so, take time this week to check out upcoming event schedules. Find one or two events that either you or a staff member can attend to spread the word about your facility. (For more info on 'meet-up' visit our
Resources page).
Once at the event b
e prepared to answer questions about yourself and your facility and be prepared to ask open-ended questions that engage the person you are talking to. When you answer the question 'what do you do?', be specific and not long-winded. Remember, this is an opportunity to do a 60 to 90 second infomercial about yourself and your business. Give some thought in advance as to what you will say.
1.
Collect information. Giving out business cards isn't nearly as important as collecting others'.
2. Be a great listener. Make eye contact when people are talking and listen carefully for an opportunity to ask questions.
3. Be visible. Try out a variety of different networking groups to meet people. Chances are your competitors are not talking to the 'construction group' on 'meet-up' but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be.
4. Be patient. It takes time to figure out people and what a new potential customer might want.
5. Reach out on a social media channel. You have collected business cards for a reason. LinkedIn or Twitter are great tools to use for a second connection (assuming your first in-person connection was a solid one).
6. Post a pick on Instagram and use the event hashtag. This lets people know you are part of the community even if they did not attend.