Leads for your home business can come from anywhere and everywhere–not just traditional sources or referrals. Are you staying open and aware and keeping your eyes, ears and mind open for possible leads to help grow your business?
Individuals who are used to working in sales or running businesses that rely on a steady influx of customers and clients train themselves to look for leads and ask for referrals. That can seem a little aggressive to those of us who are new to running a home business. But, you’d be surprised all the unusual and unexpected places that leads can come from–church, your child’s school, the beauty shop (this is a hot bed of gossip, leads and referrals!), standing on line at the grocery store, the library, reading the newspaper, an evening out at the theatre–wherever and whenever, the possibility for a business lead can strike. The trick is to train yourself to be open and aware so opportunity won’t strike and pass you by without your ever having noticed.
Keeping your business in the back of your mind helps. Think of yourself as an ambassador for your business no matter where you go (yes, even when you’re on vacation.) As Traci pointed out in her article on “the secret”–we attract more of what we focus on. If you are focusing on growing your business and letting the idea that you are open to leads and referrals percolate in the back of your mind (or the front of your mind for that matter) then you will be amazed how they just seem to “pop up” everywhere. Of course, those possibilities may have been there all along but you just weren’t focused on being open to receiving them.
Some people carry business cards with them wherever they go to remind them to promote their business . This also provides something they can hand to a prospect or potential customer. But, I think that it helps if you gather their information so you can be the one doing the following up. Either way, stay open and alert and keep your focus on growing and building your business and you’ll find leads and referrals coming from the most unsuspected places!