I don’t really know why things feel harder at the moment, but they do for me.
Instead of sitting around moaning about it, I’ve been trying different ways to get Signal in front of people.
Speed networking: Surprisingly good
I expected less than I got from this, and I had a lot more fun than I thought I would.
I met some lovely people and hopefully made some genuinely useful contacts. I’ve already got a couple of follow-up meetings booked, so this has been the most immediately positive thing I’ve tried so far.
It was organised through the Herts Chamber of Commerce.
Cold email: Clever, but a real slow burner
I bought a targeted list of nearly a thousand businesses across Herts, Beds, Cambridge and some in Buckinghamshire. I’ve been using a platform called Woodpecker to send the emails.
It’s relatively easy to set up and sends emails gradually rather than blasting a whole database at once and risking your domain getting blacklisted.
I haven’t had much return yet, but I’m allowed to contact the list up to 12 times, so let’s see where we are in six months.
It’s far too early to call it a success or a failure, but it hasn’t produced instant results. Which is a little frustrating, because I’m quite an impatient bastard.
Cold calling: OOF, not great
Practically impossible. A real slog.
I remember when you could phone a business, speak to someone, perhaps send something afterwards and start a conversation.
Now I’m struggling to even get to the right person. Gatekeepers. No phone number. Use our website. Bloody forms. Getting transferred nowhere. It’s really difficult to get anywhere near the actual decision-makers.
So my verdict on this one so far: a bit of a nightmare.
And, if I’m being truthful, pretty soul-destroying too.
LinkedIn, blogging, Instagram and EMS: Playing the long game
These are all playing the long game, but they do seem to get better engagement. People interact with the content and, occasionally, that little prod or prompt gets someone to get in touch.
In fact, that’s happened to me recently and could potentially turn into a really good new client.
If you’re reading this because you clicked through from my Signal Boost email or LinkedIn post, then I suppose you’re proving the point.
Again though, it’s a slow burner rather than activity immediately turning into enquiries. My feeling is: keep going, maybe weekly, but don’t overdo it.
Especially on LinkedIn. Nobody needs another post from someone who did a charity run, flew a helicopter, worked a 25-hour day, brought up their children and was generally wonderful.
Wankers.
So what’s actually working?
The things that create actual conversations seem to be doing better than the things designed simply to reach lots of people.
If things are a bit quiet for you, it might be a good time to look at how you’re putting your business in front of people.
Get in touch, I’ve got plenty of ideas to share with you.
Some I’ve even tested on myself.
