It may seem like a mystery to the beginning home business owner—how to take complete strangers or people who have never heard about the work we do and move them along the continuum until they become loyal customers and/or clients. The fact is, however, there is a process and it really is not all that complicated. It just takes some focus and creativity—not to mention some loyalty and dedication of our own—in order to turn a prospect into a client or customer.
Believe it or not, if you continuously market and promote your business, people WILL find their way to your home business operation. Once they go from being complete strangers to prospects, you can put more energy into moving them from being ‘interested’ to making a purchase. Depending on what sort of business you operate, some will do that on their own. For example, if you sell things via your web site, your marketing efforts will be divided into those that bring people to the site and then getting them to make a purchase once they get there. If you are in a consulting business or work with your clients on a more individualized basis—you first have to attract the interest of prospective clients and then you make a pitch or “sell” them on your services. Either way, you are getting the prospective customer or client from being a “maybe” to a “yes.”
This process takes attention—pay attention to what they are saying and doing, and give them attention as you get to know them better. Many a customer or client is lost simply because the business owner does not pay enough attention to what they need or want or follow up on inquiries and questions. Once a person has expressed an interest, start cultivating and contacting them (not so much as to pester and annoy) and gently nudge them along. At some point, they will either decide to become a customer or client—or it will become obvious to you that they are not really serious.