What if all the Offline WSO's have it all wrong?

Look I'm posting this directly in the forum because I believe all the Offline WSO's have it all wrong. I currently run four offline businesses in the Atlanta area, and most of the approaches I see in the Offline WSO's wouldn't get past the first 3 second sniff test. As someone on both sides of the fence I can see that. I have my own offline clients, and I have my own offline businesses, it gives me a unique perspective.

My problem with most marketing for offline consultants is it's all wrong. First off you're trying to blast through a door that is being pounded on by 20 different people a day. Do you know in one of my businesses I get at minimum 4 emails a day, and a few phone calls a week? "Let me get you traffic, let me get you to #1, let me get you business, let me put you to the top of Google, over and over again, ad infinitum. "

There's an easier way.

There's a smarter way.

There's a faster way.

It just takes a little more work and isn't quite as direct. Instead of ROI, you need more COI.

You need to cultivate Centers Of Influence.

That's where the real money is at. See the problem with talking to Bob the dentist, is Bob is getting hammered from all sides. Did anyone know that Dentists are one of the most marketed professions out there? These "gurus" aren't telling you that are they? They literally get as many marketing calls/letters/emails as they get genuine contacts from people who want to give them money. But let's imagine that somehow you break through Bob's castle and get to talk to him, and magically get him as a client. Then what? You get to repeat the process all over again. Now you get to find Dennis the Dentist, and try to break down his castle walls too. Sound like fun to you?

There's an easier way. It's called using Centers Of Influence. There are people out there right now who have access to all your perfect clients. Think about all the different B2B people out there who have a rolodex that if you could get your grubby little fingers on it for ten minutes you could make a million dollars. There are accountants, bookkeepers, computer consultants, sign shops, attorneys, copier companies, etc.

Instead of sending out 100 letters/emails/phone calls to one off clients, you're a heck of a lot better off working with 100 Centers Of Influence who can send 1,000 businesses to you if you can get them to work with you.

I kind of stumbled into this in one of my offline businesses. I got this one client, a really friendly lady who did business with us. And over the next year, I kept running into people she had referred to us. I can directly attribute over $5,000 in business to just this woman and her contacts. Now how could I find more of her? And that's when it hit me, there are already people out there who know hundreds of my ideal clients, I just have to put the right deal in front of them.

Here's an example, I like to work with sign shops to partner with them to create websites. I went around to each sign shop and met the owner in person. I showed them a portfolio of the sites we have done, and told him it was quite simple, if they ask one simple question at the end of every order they take, they can make between $200 and $1,000. That question was "Thanks for your sign order, I just have a quick question, "Are you happy with your current website? " 90% of people will not say yes. Just hand them one of our cards, and tell them "You need to call Marcos, he does incredible work at great prices, just tell him that Sandy said to call". And for that they make 20% of any order that we get from that simple 10 second question. My average website design runs between $1,000 and $10,000. So oftentimes they can make more from the site I make than they made in the original transaction. There so happens to be around 300 sign shops in my area. Can you imagine if even half of them asked that question a few times a day? I wouldn't be able to keep up with the business.

This works because it's a fairly related transaction. The person is buying a sign for their business, they are looking to attract more business. It's not a very far jump to getting a website, or getting SEO, or listed in Google Maps, etc. It's not the same as getting your hair dresser to recommend you to everyone who gets a haircut on Tuesdays.

It's a heck of a lot easier than going around trying to find the exact prospect who needs you right now and happens to have the money. And trying to rank for web design in most cities is ridiculous, most of those guys have 1,000's of websites linked to them and it's insane trying to catch up.

Here's my point it's a lot of work getting someone to "buy into" what you're doing. Doesn't it make more sense if you're going to exert that influence to do it when the chance for payback is 10-20-100 times what you could get off of just one client.

Anyway, it's just an idea. I'd rather have 10 people out there drumming me up business than 10 people who want what I have right now.

Hope this helps.

Marcos

P.S.- I mean no disrespect to all the offline WSO sellers. I just think there are easier ways to get things done.