Know-How Exchange : Other

As a marketing/management consultant in Fairfield County, Connecticut, I think your best bet for reaching the corporate marketing managers is through networking -- especially with other service providers and consultants.

Volunteer to help them with design issues (at no out-of-pocket cost initially) in return for an introduction to the right person at client companies. Every consultant has a small stable of "regular" clients, and they're usually careful about sharing them with other service providers.

But if you can establish a positive working relationship with them, they'll find ways of writing you into their "script" with key clients, and you will have accomplished your objective.

A great way to start your own marketing effort is to give in-kind. Get to know a few of the right people and show them how good you are -- without any strings attached.

Good luck. (And I'll see you one day at the Brewhouse in SoNo or Dry Dock on Rte. 7 ... I just won't know who you are!)

I have usually found my graphic designers based on colleague's recommendations. But, my most recent find was on guru.com where I contracted with a designer and we just clicked.

Network network network. Meet people in marketing at these firms (preferably those in groups who may need services like yours, like marcom, product managers, etc.). Let them get to know you and the work you can do.

As for joining organizations, they can be helpful, but I have found that you pretty much need to join a subcommittee or work on a project in order to really network with people; otherwise you will find that there are different people at every meeting you attend.

Michael's suggestion of doing some "exchange" work is a good one; I would add that if you can take on one or two small projects pro bono for a school, church, or civic group, this can sometimes give you some exposure.

I think you're right that networking *may* not be the best use of your time. My take on most of these association or group events is that everyone is there to sell themselves. There are very few pure buyers there, and rightly so; they simply don't have time to attend these kinds of functions.

If you are to join these organizations, I would work hard to get on the speaking side of things so that you can position yourself as an expert, and I would only attend those events where it's likely that buyers and end-users will be there. You can probably do a couple events and pay the non-member rate before deciding to commit to a membership.

I would also focus on writing articles in places where you'll find a lot of marketing people reading (like this site right here).

Another thing I would work on is your own SEO effort. The best prospects are those who are actually out there looking for someone -- for YOU -- right now.

As for cold-calling, it's a grind, but it works. If you spend a few minutes on the Web Googling "marketing manager" with a couple other key words, you'll have a prospect list in no time. Even just 1-2 calls a day will get you new business eventually, and don't forget to ask for referrals to other prospects when you're on the phone.

Lastly, if your budget will allow, you might consider using a service like this:
https://www.thelistinc.com/

For what it's worth, I do agree that corporate marketing managers can be great clients, BUT we are seeing a lot of companies bring these functions in house, AND we are seeing huge reductions in budget for those that outsource. Of course, when you're a small shop (like we are), you don't need a hundred new clients to make a go of things. You just need a couple great clients here and there to make it all work.

I wish you luck!

Paul

TheList is not cheap, but I do believe that the data is up-to-date and very accurate.

It's about $3,500 for a nationwide subscription (12 months), and you have to pay in advance -- no monthly billing.

A regional subscription will cost a little less than half of that.

On the one hand, $3,500 is a lot of money to spend in one chunk, but if you get a couple good clients from it, you're way ahead of the game.

We're still thinking about it, as we don't really need (or even want) a huge number of new clients.

Dear o2design,

How do you get your message in front of your target?

You hustle.

Use social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube) to track these people down and then use 3D (lumpy) direct mail to get your skill set and message in front of the right person.

Lumpy mail becomes "A" pile mail. It commands top of the heap real estate so it will be read or acted on first. Make this mail RELEVANT, NOTEWORTHY, and MEMORABLE.

Your prospect wants to know what you can do for him or her.

So tell them.

List all the companies you need to contact, get in touch with them and find out who's who. Then find out how that person prefers to receive information from vendors.

You then direct your information to that person in the form in which they want to see it and you make yourself known as the logical, "go to" person for graphic and Web design.

You show people how you—and you alone—can make them look not just good, but how you can make them look GREAT. And you keep this message up so that your power builds over time with frequency of contact. You've got talent, use it to your advantage.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA